The Land Before Time: No Love is Greater
by Calmoose415
Summary: What if Littlefoot and his family found Chomper on their way to the Great Valley? What if Chomper was raised alongside Littlefoot and his family? And what will happen when they must go on a great journey across the land without their family and with a bunch of unlikely friends? (AU fic)
1. Hatching

**Hey guys! Calmoose here! Chomper is my favorite character in the Land Before Time series other than Littlefoot. And I really wanted to write this AU, so I hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Land Before Time and never will**

Chapter 1: Hatching

It was once again another harsh warm day out in the wilderness. Another day of walking and searching for food and water whilst avoiding sharp-teeth and other dangers in the dry and empty plains. But it was all anyone could do to survive in this harsh landscape.

A now three-year-old Littlefoot trotted happily beside his mother and his grandparents, running constant circles around them with a joyous smile on his face.

From above him, Littlefoot's Mother and two grandparents couldn't help but smile fondly at the young child. How his young and innocent smile pressed on even in these times really warmed their hearts.

However, it was also times like these where they were reminded how he was all they had other than each other. Originally, Littlefoot's Mother had laid several eggs in the nest, but Littlefoot was the only one who had hatched. Sometimes they wished that Littlefoot wasn't an only child. Sometimes they wished that he had a brother or a sister for him to play with, as he didn't really have any friends.

Littlefoot soon stopped trotting when he felt his stomach growling. He was quite surprised that he hadn't realized that he was now pretty hungry. And he needed food.

Coming to a stop, Littlefoot gazed up at his mother. "Mother, can we eat?" He asked. "I'm hungry."

Littlefoot's Mother chuckled. "Of course, my son." She replied kindly. She then spotted a nearby bush that had some green food still on it. Using her jaws, she carefully plucked the green food off the bush and placing it down in front of her son.

Littlefoot immediately began to devour the green food, feeling those soft things hit his taste buds and exploding with flavor in his mouth. Seeing their young charge so hungry, Littlefoot's Mother and Grandparents decided to eat something as well.

Spotting a large tree, the three grown-ups lumbered over to it and began eating the green food off it.

As Littlefoot finished his green food, he realized that he was still hungry. He looked around, and just a little further away from his mother and grandparents, spotted a small cluster of bushes.

The young long-neck wandered over to bushes and began eating as much as he could from the bushes. However, as he ate, he could've sworn he spotted something out of the corner of his eye.

Curious, he looked to where he thought he saw the thing and saw a bit white just behind some of the bushes. Curiosity taking him over, Littlefoot walked towards the object, pushing past the bushes and coming into a small open plain.

The plain was small, but gorgeous in the sunlight, the leafs on the bushes blowing in the wind, as if the plain itself was alive. Littlefoot gazed around in near awe at the beautiful sight. He then looked to the center of the plain, and he gasped in surprise as he eyes widened.

Right in the middle of the plain was a large, oval shaped egg sitting in the middle of a small unattended nest.

Littlefoot gazed at the egg curiously. Many questions quickly filled his head: where were the parents? Why was there an egg just lying here in the middle of this small plain? Who's egg was this? And better yet, who were the parents?

His curiosity once again overtaking him, the young long-neck slowly walked up to the egg. He bent his head forward as he inspected it closely. Who would leave a seemingly healthy egg out here in the middle of nowhere?

"Littlefoot?" The young long-neck heard his mother call him, causing him to raise his head and look behind him.

"Littlefoot, where are you?" He then heard his grandpa call.

"I'm over here!" He said loudly.

The loud cluster of footsteps were soon heard as Littlefoot's mother and grandparents came through the bushes, worried looks on their faces.

"Littlefoot, what happened?" Grandma Longneck asked, her voice tense with concern. "What are you doing?"

"Well..I..I..." Littlefoot paused for a moment as he tried to think of a good way to explain this to his herd. "I was wandering around and eating this greenfood over here when I found this." He then gestured to the egg behind.

Mother Longneck and Littlefoot's grandparents gasped as they gazed at the egg.

"Littlefoot, don't you realize that this could be someone else's egg?" Grandpa Longneck questioned sternly.

Littlefoot shrunk back a bit under his families gazes before he straightened himself. "I just found it, and the parents don't seem to be around." He said innocently. "Maybe we can-"

He was cut off when a small cracking sound be heard coming from the egg. Their voices now silenced, the herd of four looked towards the egg, their eyes widening as they saw that the egg was hatching!

They watched in unwavering silence as cracks snaked across the surface of the shell. Littlefoot briefly put his ear to it to hear out for any signs of life. But he quickly pulled his head back as a single three-clawed foot kicked itself out.

The egg turned over and a short, triangular tail poked out of the back of the egg. The four long-necks felt their hearts beat in anticipation when an upward pressure struggled to push through the egg. Eventually, most of the egg burst open, revealing another three-clawed foot and a body with a pair of tiny, skinny three fingered arms. The last piece of the egg covered the head of the hatchling, further upping the suspense of what kind of dinosaur the hatchling was. But with revelation of most of it's body so far, Littlefoot and his family began to stir with uneasiness.

Judging from it's upper limbs, it didn't seem like the kind of dinosaur that walked on all fours. So it would walk on two legs. But none of them recalled any swimmers that started out this big. Maybe it was dome-head? No, the head shape didn't seem right.

Before they could think of any more possibilities, the hatchling then gracefully tossed the remaining piece of egg shell off it's head and smiled up at Littlefoot, it's complete shape and kind clear for all to see.

"It's-It's a.." Grandma Longneck stuttered, the realization dawning on them.

The hatchling smiled innocently and opened it's mouth in greeting, revealing a series of tiny pointed teeth, and a bolt of terror struck everyone present.

"Sharp-tooth!" Grandpa Longneck gasped as Littlefoot quickly ran behind his mother's leg as the herd slowly backed away from the hatchling sharp-tooth.

But Littlefoot peeked out from behind his mother's leg and gazed at the small hatchling. On the small abandoned nest, Littlefoot saw that sharp-tooth had lowered it's eyes, it's gaze searching around the ground making an indistinct mumbling sound. There was still a smile on it's face, but there was now a tinge sadness with it.

It - he was alone, Littlefoot quickly realized. The little hatchling had just come into the world and there was no one to care for him, no one to look after him, and no one to have fun with him. Try as he might, Littlefoot's felt a wash of sympathy for the baby sharp-tooth.

Summoning his courage, Littlefoot walked out from behind his mother's leg and slowly walked towards the baby sharp-tooth.

"Littlefoot!" Mother Longneck cried, trying to get her son back to her.

But Littlefoot ignored her as he approached the hatchling cautiously, only to be slightly surprised when the hatchling reeled back a bit in what seemed to be a bit of fear from him.

"It's alright." Littlefoot said, his voice soothing and reassuring. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

The hatchling jerked back from him slightly. Littlefoot silently wondered for a moment if he should have invaded the hatchling's personal space when the baby sharp-tooth suddenly licked Littlefoot affectionately across the cheek.

"Friendly, aren't you?" Littlefoot giggled, the sudden lick being somewhat ticklish. He then turned to his family. "See? He's not so dangerous."

Littlefoot's family was in a state of shock. Were their eyes deceiving them? A sharp-tooth showing innocence and love?

Cautiously, Mother Longneck approached the little sharp-tooth, lowering her head down to his level.

Now that she was closer, she could distinctly make out his features better. His skin was a light tone of purple, with his underbelly being a much paler shade of the same color. His feet were rather big with each having three claws.

She gazed into the hatchling's reddish brownish eyes, and she was surprised to find no hunger, rage, or malice as she did with most sharp-teeth. Instead, all she saw was just pure, child-like innocence.

"Are you... all alone, little one?" Mother Longneck asked curiously.

The hatchling gazed up at her, pressing his hands together bashfully, his worshipful eyes falling on the adult long-neck, and Mother Longneck felt her heart melt. Try as she might, she couldn't help but smile warmly at the little sharp-tooth's innocence.

"Can we keep him?" Littlefoot suddenly asked, surprising his family.

"Keep a sharp-tooth?" Grandma Longneck questioned in surprise.

"How can we possibly raise a sharp-tooth?" Grandpa Longneck also questioned.

"We'll take good care of him." Littlefoot said, gently nuzzling the little sharp-tooth, who happily nuzzled him back. "He could be my step-brother."

This took Littlefoot's family even more by surprise. Raise a sharp-tooth? Was Littlefoot out of his mind?

Mother Longneck gazed down at the little sharp-tooth, pondering on what to decide when she then turned to her son. "If he is going to stay with us, he's going to need a name."

Before Littlefoot could answer, a small buzzing noise rose in the air. The hatchling's face brightened as a flying buzzer hovered over his head. A determined excited gleam entered those reddish brownish eyes and he snapped at it with his small jaws, making a loud 'chomping' sound, but missing the buzzer. He tried for another chomp but missed again as the flying buzzer swerved out of the hatchling's bite and landed on a small blade of grass. And despite themselves, Littlefoot's mother and grandparents couldn't help but smile a bit at the little sharp-tooth's adorableness.

"I know," Littlefoot smiled, the hatchling's two biting attempts giving him inspiration, "we'll call him Chomper."

The newly named Chomper lived up to his namesake as he clumsily got to his feet and lunged at the fling buzzer, finally catching it in his jaws as he tumbled across the ground. Chomper then sat up and bit down on the buzzer, spraying yellow fluids across his maw as he gobbled down the buzzer. The long-neck herd cringed slightly as they were reminded that they were dealing with a sharp-tooth. A sweet and innocent sharp-tooth, but a sharp-tooth nonetheless. Still, their newfound fondness and love for Chomper didn't waver.

"I suppose... he is hungry, isn't he?" Grandpa Longneck said hesitantly.

After finishing the buzzer, Chomper gazed up innocently at the family of long-necks. For a moment, Mother Longneck wondered if all the murderous sharp-teeth in the world gazed up at their parents with such sincerity and love while chewing meat. Inwardly, she shuddered. What could lead such sweet and innocent children into becoming such terrifying and brutal monsters?

"Maybe we could teach him to eat green food, like us." Littlefoot replied. "After all, we're his family now." He said, emphasizing his statement with a soft nuzzle, to which Chomper cooed in delight.

"Littlefoot, sharp-teeth can't eat green food." Grandma Longneck told him.

"Well, we can still try." Littlefoot responded, picking up a small pile of leafs in his mouth and placing them in front of Chomper. "Here." He told the baby sharp-tooth. "These leafs are really tasty. Try some."

Intrigued, Chomper bit down on some leaves, trusting Littlefoot's word. His little reddish brownish eyes turning skyward thoughtfully as more leaves vanished into his mouth. Littlefoot watched closely, hope rising in him that maybe this food issue wouldn't be so bad.

But alas, Chomper suddenly spat out the leafs with enough force to send him falling on his back, the green food clearly disagreeing with his taste buds.

Littlefoot's mother and grandparents shook their heads, knowing this was going to be harder than they thought. But nevertheless, they remained undeterred as Mother Longneck bent down and gently picked up Littlefoot and Chomper by their tails and placed them gently on her back.

"Don't worry, Littlefoot. I'm sure we'll find something else for him to eat." Mother Longneck told her son reassuringly. She then shifted her gaze to Chomper and smiled softly. "As for you, we'll take care you now, little Chomper." She then affectionately licked Chomper's cheek, causing the baby sharp-tooth to squeak in joy as he nuzzled her face.

Chomper then let out a long yawn as he snuggled up against Littlefoot. The young long-neck smiled happily as he curled around his new step-brother and fell asleep.

Littlefoot's mother and grandparents smiled as they moved on across the land, carrying their two children with them. If they had been told earlier on that they would have the task of caring for a sharp-tooth, they would've fled from the responsibility as quickly as possible. But now they couldn't even conceive the thought of abandoning little Chomper, especially Littlefoot. They were now determined to stick with Chomper through thick and thin.

And whether they meant to or not, Chomper had now become a part of their family.


	2. Life

Chapter 2: Life

_Seven years later..._

It had been a long time since Littlefoot and his family had found Chomper and taken him into their family. Now the two were slightly larger than they were seven years before. And in that time, Littlefoot and Chomper had formed a strong brotherly bond as they grew up, becoming the best of friends as the two of them were rarely seen without one another. Often times they would be seen playing around and laughing happily as they enjoyed each other's company.

As Chomper grew up, Littlefoot and his family had taught him how to speak flat-tooth and how bad it was to kill for survival. And luckily for them, finding food for their young sharp-tooth charge hadn't been much of a problem, as they soon found that Chomper really liked to eat small buzzers and crawlers, as well as fish.

Now, the small herd had stopped in small dead forest with several dead trees. Littlefoot was snacking on some small leafs he and found from a surviving bush while Chomper ate as many bugs as he could find on the ground.

"Mother," Littlefoot spoke up, his mouth still full of leafs, "is this all there is to eat?"

"Yeah, we're still hungry." Chomper added as he finished eating the last bug he could find before the two children and their grandparents followed.

Mother Longneck sighed as she began to walk again. It had been hard enough finding food for herself and the grandparents, but it was even harder to find food for the young ones that she so desperately cared and loved. "Oh, I'm sorry, children." She said sincerely. "The land has been changing." She then smiled a bit. "That is why we must walk as far as we can each day until we reach the Great Valley."

Littlefoot and Chomper hardly heard her as they were too busy chewing on the last remains of their food. Littlefoot was trying his hardest to chew on some dried branches while Chomper was trying to catch a small flying buzzer.

"Littlefoot! Chomper! Quickly! Come here!" Mother Longneck gently called out, getting the adopted brothers' attention.

Now curious, the two of them forgot about their food and walked over to their mother, who stood by a large dead tree.

"What is it, mother?" Chomper asked as he and Littlefoot approached her.

Mother Longneck smiled as she gestured to the top branch of the dead tree. On the branch was a large star-shaped leaf that hung loosely on the edge of the branch.

"This is a tree-star." Mother Longneck explained. "It is very special." She then reached forward and carefully plucked the tree-star off of the branch and gently lowered it to her two children, who couldn't help but laugh playfully as she let go of the tree-star letting it float to the ground.

"A tree-star." Littlefoot gasped as he and Chomper gazed at it.

"It's pretty." Chomper smiled as the two then began playfully tugging at it.

"Yes, it is very special." Mother Longneck chuckled as she watched her two beloved children play with it. "It'll help the two of you grow strong. And where we are going, there are so many of these leafs."

Littlefoot and Chomper both laughed happily as the two step-brothers continued to play with the tree-star before they sandwiched it in a loving hug.

"Come along." Mother Longneck beckoned as Grandpa and Grandma Longneck chuckled at the two adopted brothers playfulness.

Releasing from their embrace, Chomper picked up the tree-star in his tiny arms and placed it on Littlefoot's back as the small herd began moving again.

"The Great Valley is filled with green food like this, and many many crawlers, more than you two could eat." Mother Longneck told them as they wandered through the dry forest. "And more fresh water, more than you could ever drink. It is a wonderful, beautiful place. Where we can all live happily together."

"Gee," Littlefoot spoke up as the small herd exited the small forest, "when will we get there?"

Mother Longneck looked out to the now setting bright circle before turning back to her two children. "The bright circle must pass over us many time." She explained. "And we must follow it each day to where it touches the ground."

Littlefoot and Chomper looked to each other as they walked with their small herd through the dry plains. Their gazes then shifted back to their mother as she continued to lead them.

"Have you ever seen the Great Valley?" Chomper asked curiously, with Littlefoot nodding in agreement.

Mother Longneck stopped before turning her head all the way back to her two children. "No."

Littlefoot and Chomper both blinked. She didn't know? Then how did she know where they were going?

"Well.." Chomper continued. "How do you know it's really there?"

Mother Longneck smiled with a small sigh. "Some things you see with your eyes, others you see with your heart." She said.

"We don't understand, mother." Littlefoot sighed as he and Chomper looked down a bit.

Mother Longneck still maintained her kind smile. "You will, my sons." She said kindly as she lovingly nuzzled her two children. "You will."

The two adopted brothers smiled as they felt their spirits were lifted. They were about to carry on when they heard a small fit of laughter from nearby. Curious, Littlefoot and Chomper peaked through a large bush to see a young orangish/yellowish three-horn laughing joyfully as she playfully rammed into a larger three-horn which the two boys assumed was the young three-horn's father.

Just then, a small buzzer then came flying by, getting the young three-horns attention. A playful smirk coming onto her face, she scraped the ground with her foot before chasing after it, ramming into several rocks in attempt to catch the flying buzzer.

The flying buzzer flew off of another rock as the young three-horn slammed into it, knocking her on her rear. Shaking off her dizziness, she slowly crept up to another small rock the flying buzzer had landed on. She licked her lips as she slowly raised her head to the buzzing flyer while Littlefoot and Chomper watched with excited eyes as they bounced on their toes in anticipation.

However, before the young three-horn could even make a move, the buzzer suddenly squirted a strange substance in her face before flying off.

Despite themselves, Littlefoot and Chomper burst out laughing at the embarrassing scene.

"What are you two laughing at?" The young three-horn questioned, halting the adopted brothers' laughter as she glared in their direction.

The young three-horn then smirked playfully again as she once again scraped the ground with her foot, getting ready to charge. Deciding to play along, Littlefoot and Chomper both jumped out of the bushes, playfully smirking back as they got ready to charge as well.

Without warning, the young three-horn charged forward, giving a loud yell as she did so. Littlefoot and Chomper charged as well, prepared to take the three-horn head on.

However, when they about a foot away from her, the father three-horn suddenly jumped in between them, blocking them off from each other.

The two adopted brothers gulped nervously as they backed up from the young three-horn's father as the young three-horn smirked smugly at them.

"Littlefoot! Chomper!" They heard Mother Longneck call for them.

"Come, Cera." The father three-horn said before turning to Littlefoot and Chomper. "Three-horns never play with long-necks." He said sternly. "And especially _not_ with sharp-teeth." He spat, casting a particularly nasty glare at the little purple sharp-tooth.

The young three-horn named Cera blew her tongue at the two brothers who frowned a bit in response.

"Littlefoot! Chomper!" They heard Mother Longneck call again.

Cera's father let out a low growl, causing Littlefoot and Chomper to shrink down a bit as they slowly backed away from the grumpy three-horn. Cera then, in an act of boldness, leapt forward as she glared a bit at the two brothers.

"Three-horns never play with long-necks or sharp-teeth." She snootily said, repeating her father's words with smug pride before they were suddenly picked up and carried away by each of their parents.

Mother Longneck and Cera's father both exchanged a short glance at each other before they turned away and went in their own separate directions as they held their children in the air by their tails.

"Long-neck?" Littlefoot questioned as Mother Longneck carried both him and Chomper. "Mother, what's a long-neck?"

"And what's a sharp-tooth, mother?" Chomper also asked curiously as Mother Longneck gently placed them on her back.

"Well, a long-neck is what you and me are, Littlefoot." Mother Longneck answered calmly. "And a sharp-tooth is what you are, Chomper."

"Oh." The two brothers said simultaneously as Mother Longneck continued to walk. However, Chomper couldn't help but notice that Cera's father had been particularly nasty to him, even more than with Littlefoot. Why was that? Was it because he was a sharp-tooth?

"Well, why can't we play with that three-horn?" Littlefoot asked, breaking the little sharp-tooth out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, we were having fun together." Chomper added with a small giggle.

"Well.. we all keep to our own kind." Mother Longneck replied, trying to put it to them lightly. "The three-horns, the spike-tails, the swimmers, the flyers, we never do anything together."

"Why?" Littlefoot asked as he and Chomper were confused.

"Well, because we're different." Mother Longneck simply answered. "It's always been that way."

"But what about me?" Chomper asked, still confused. "I'm a sharp-tooth. I'm different from you long-necks, and you still took me in."

Mother Longneck chuckled a little. "Well, you were just a baby when we found you. We couldn't simply leave you to fend for yourself. And don't worry so much. Once we reach the Great Valley, you will have all the time you want to play together."

Littlefoot and Chomper sighed a bit. "I wish were there now." Littlefoot said wearily.

"Well it's a long way yet." Mother Longneck told him as the small herd ventured through the dead forests, still following the bright circle as it began to come lower and lower to the ground. "Past the great rock that looks like a long-neck, and past the mountains that burn, still a long way. But we'll get there, I know it."

And with that, the herd continued on in silence.

**And that's it for now. Sorry for such a short chapter, but I figured I should end it here in order for the next chapter. See later!**


	3. Loss

Chapter 3: Loss

The large silvery night circle slowly began to lower from the night sky as bits of light from the bright circle could be seen over the horizon. The herd of long-necks and their sharp-tooth companion settled down to rest in a small clearing in the dead forest. Mother Longneck and the grandparents slept quite well as they leaned their heads against a few nearby boulders.

Littlefoot rested peacefully on his mother's back with Chomper leaning against his side as the two adopted brothers slept. However, as they slept, a large frog sat atop Grandpa Longneck's head, as if waiting for something to happen.

Just then, the frog leapt off Grandpa's head, snatching a buzzer with it's tongue as it landed right next Littlefoot and Chomper, startling them awake. Then, as if to taunt them, the frog opened it's large mouth to show of the remains of it's meal.

Needless to say, it wasn't very pleasant to look at.

The frog then jumped off of Mother Longneck's back as Littlefoot and Chomper watched it hop away.

"Hey, hopper, come back!" Littlefoot said, playful smiles growing on the adopted brothers' faces as they slid down mother Longneck's back and began chasing after the hopper.

The two brothers quickly ran after the large frog as they came by a cluster of rocks that lead to the center of a decaying tree. Littlefoot and Chomper both entered the log, ready to go after the frog.

However, just as they hopped into the log, they were suddenly greeted by a certain grumpy young three-horn.

"You two again?" Cera questioned rather crossly. "Go away! That's MY hopper!" She then turned away from them, flicking her tail and raising her horn high in the air as she walked away.

"We saw him first." Chomper stated, showing annoyance as both he and Littlefoot frowned at the headstrong three-horn.

"Well, he's in MY pond." Cera rebuked. She then jumped out of the large log, sliding down a small slope and into a bubbling pond of mucky water just under a hollowed out, dead tree. Littlefoot and Chomper were quick to follow her down the ledge. As they went down, Littlefoot slipped down the slope and landed on Cera, forcing her head into the pond while Chomper lost his footing and tumbled down the slope, landing on Littlefoot's back.

Cera quickly raised her herself out of the murky water, scowling deeply as she turned her head and glared at the two adopted brothers who both smiled sheepishly.

However, her anger for them almost immediately faded away as the trio of children spotted the reflection of the frog they were chasing earlier in appear in a large bubble. Thinking it was the real hopper, Chomper jumped off Littlefoot's back and landed on the bubble, causing it to burst under his feet, much to his confusion and disappointment.

Pretty soon, more bubbles began to appear out of the water, each of them all with the same face of a frog in them. And this time, Littlefoot decided to join in as he began to jump on the rising bubbles as well.

Cera stared at them incredulously for a moment before she simply shrugged with a small smile and began jumping on the bubbles as well. For a while, the three children played in the pond, popping each bubble that sprung up from the water as they laughed joyfully.

"Hey, this is fun!" Cera admitted happily as the three children continued to play their little game. It was almost as if she had completely forgotten that Littlefoot was a long-neck and that Chomper was sharp-tooth, and was instead just wrapped up in the enjoyment of the moment.

However, all of them were completely unaware of the danger that was approaching.

As they were playing, they failed to notice a giant dark shadow looming overhead. Suddenly the ground beneath them began to shake, the water they were standing in began to ripple with small waves.

Littlefoot, Chomper, and Cera all felt it as they immediately stopped playing, searching around almost frantically for the source of the shakes.

Chomper sniffed the air, something he had taught himself to do when he was very little, trying to catch the hint of what was making the shakes. After a bit, he managed to catch the scent. It was strange, almost unfamiliar and yet familiar at the same time. However, what was definitely familiar about the scent was the horrid odor of dried and rotting flesh in it's mouth. And whatever creature he was smelling was something big, something huge. A big dinosaur. _Get out of here._

Cera turned her head to the direction the tremors were coming from, and her eyes widened as she let out a scream of absolute terror.

"SHARPTOOTH!" She shrieked, running in the opposite direction.

Littlefoot and Chomper both turned to the source of the tremors, and their eyes widened in horror as well as they saw it.

Standing just a few yards away from them was a massive sharp-tooth, marching towards them with bits of saliva dripping from it's mouth. It's eyes were blood-red and filled with malicious intent.

Fear filling their entire beings, Littlefoot and Chomper both screamed in terror before turning around and dashing after Cera.

"MOTHER!" Littlefoot cried out as they ran while the monstrous behemoth smashed through the dead tree in pursuit. The three children then ran into a large grove of thorns, hoping to seek better shelter.

They then moved back to the middle of the bush as they could feel Sharptooth's thundering footsteps come closer and closer. Their fear only intensified as a small shower of splinters and thorns came down on them from above. They looked up and nearly gasped as they saw Sharptooth make a huge hole in the bush!

Sharptooth then began to crawl into the bushes, sniffing for his prey as Littlefoot, Chomper, and Cera tried to flatten themselves against the ground. Only a long, thick branch blocked Sharptooth's enormous snout from reaching them.

The three children trembled as they felt the hot, foul, snorting breath of the monster's nostrils shoot down on them. They shivered with fear as they huddled closely to each other, silently praying that Sharptooth wouldn't find them.

After a few painstakingly long seconds, Sharptooth lifted his snout to get a better position. Now was their chance.

"Go." Chomper whispered, nudging Littlefoot and Cera. The trio quickly and cautiously made their way to the other side of the bush, being as quiet as they could. They then came to a small part of bushes that split into two paths.

"This way." Littlefoot whispered, gesturing to the path on the right, with Chomper quickly nodding in agreement.

However, to their horror, Cera shook her head and instead ran down the path on the left!

"Cera, wait! Come back!" Chomper cried as the little sharp-tooth ran after her.

"Chomper, wait up!" Littlefoot called, immediately racing after his adopted brother. "Cera! Your going the wrong way!"

But Cera ignored the brothers' pleas as she kept on running down the path. The situation quickly took a turn for the worst as Sharptooth raised his head out of the hole just in time to see the trio of children run out of the bushes.

Without a moment of hesitation, Sharptooth dove for them, knocking down several thorns as he just narrowly missed Littlefoot. The young long-neck screamed as he jumped out of the way before Sharptooth could bite at him again.

Littlefoot attempted to run, but found himself tangled in a series of thorns, preventing him from going any further.

Chomper turned around and nearly froze in terror as he saw Sharptooth was closing in on his big brother.

"LITTLEFOOT!" Chomper cried, racing back to help his best friend, his adopted big brother.

"CHOMPER, NO!" Littlefoot shouted as he struggled to get out of the thorns. "SAVE YOURSELF!"

But Chomper ignored his big brother's pleas as he quickly rushed over to the young long-neck. Acting quickly, Chomper began to bite through the thorns with his teeth, and after biting off the last thorn, Littlefoot finally came free!

At the same time, however, the thorns and vines snapped back and struck Sharptooth in the left eye.

The monster let out a roar of agony as he burst up out of the thorn bush, using his left arm to claw the thorn out of his eye. Sharptooth was furious as he composed himself, snorting angrily.

Littlefoot and Chomper ran as fast as their little legs would carry them, eventually catching up to Cera as they hoped that they had escaped the dreaded monster's wrath.

But their hopes were completely demolished as Sharptooth leapt out of the thorns and landed right behind them. The ground shook violently beneath the children at the monster's landing, causing them to lose balance and fall. Sharptooth blew his hot, putrid breath onto them in murderous rage as he moved in for the kill.

Suddenly, a large, lengthy tail whipped around almost out of nowhere and smacked Sharptooth away.

Littlefoot, Chomper, and Cera looked up to see Mother Longneck standing protectively above them. Her body was tense as she glared at her sons' attacker. The group of children quickly got up and rushed under the mighty long-neck as Sharptooth struggled to get back up, smashing his head against a boulder several times before he finally got back to his feet.

"Run, children! Run!" Mother Longneck ordered, nudging the three young ones away from her.

Littlefoot, Chomper and Cera scrambled out of the way from Mother Longneck as she stood on her hind-legs to avoid a bite from Sharptooth. She then brought her front feet down in an attempt to crush the monster's head, but Sharptooth quickly moved out of the way before snapping his jaws at her, forcing her back.

Mother Longneck then whipped her tail around again, hitting Sharptooth square in the face and knocking him into a wall of rocks. She then turned to guide the children away when Sharptooth suddenly leaped high into the air and landed on Mother Longneck's back.

The three young ones could only watch in helpless horror as the monster ripped a chunk of flesh off of the older long-neck's back with his jaws. Mother Longneck reared up and managed to dislodge Sharptooth from her back, despite it hurting terribly.

Sharptooth quickly recovered and advanced on the older long-neck, determined more than ever to kill her.

With all the force that she could muster, Mother Longneck swung her tail again and knocked Sharptooth to the ground, sending him sliding down a hill into a batch of rocks and dirt.

"Mother!" Littlefoot cried out as he and Chomper quickly rushed over to her.

"Your hurt, mother!" Chomper exclaimed, his voice full of panic.

"Do not worry about me." Mother Longneck stated, trying to hide the pain in her voice, but failing. "Just run!"

The four of them then set off running again, trying to get as much distance from the monster as they could. But they didn't get far as the ground suddenly started to shake again, but it wasn't Sharptooth's footsteps this time.

"EARTHSHAKE!" Cera screamed.

The earth shook violently beneath their feet as cracks began to spring up in the ground. A large rock then sprouted up from the ground, separating the children from the adult and leaving them completely stranded.

Littlefoot, Chomper, and Cera didn't have long to register this as Sharptooth had somehow gotten out of the rubble and was charging at children with saliva and blood dripping down his fangs.

The three children immediately sprinted away in a panic, going as fast as their legs could carry them. But Sharptooth quickly caught up with the trio, towering over them as the three children moved to avoid his large feet. Sharptooth then brought his left foot down, causing the three young dinosaurs to fly into the air and land on his foot. The monster tried to shake them off, but the children refused to let go.

Boiling hot steam suddenly shot out of a nearby crack in the earth, startling Sharptooth and nearly scalding his foot. The behemoth jerked back from the sudden shock, at the same time flinging the three children off of his foot.

The piece of earth itself seemed to dislodge as Littlefoot, Chomper, and Cera hit the ground and slid back to the edge of the rock, the dark abyss awaiting below. Sharptooth let out a roar as he too slid down the rock. His large body slid to the edge of the rock, nearly pushing the three young dinosaurs off the edge had they not grabbed onto Sharptooth's large tail.

"MOTHER!" Littlefoot shouted as he, Chomper and Cera held on for dear life on Sharptooth's tail.

"HELP US, MOTHER!" Chomper also cried as he began to feel his little hands slipping.

Using all of the strength they could muster, the three children climbed atop Sharptooth's tail and ran up his back. They then jumped off of his snout and landed on a small, steep slope that was just below the cliff-side.

Sharptooth began to crawl up the slope as well, still trying to devour the children. However, Mother Longneck made it to the edge just in time as she smacked Sharptooth off the rock.

The monster let out an ear-piercing howl as he plummeted into the chasm below while Mother Longneck quickly grabbed the three children by their tails with her mouth, pulling them back up.

The moment Mother Longneck let them go, Littlefoot and Chomper immediately sprinted away from gorge while Cera ran off in the opposite direction, screeching for her family.

The earthshake only worsened as spikes of rock began to spring up from the ground, the land itself rolling like a large tidal wave. Masses of lands with dinosaurs on them dislodged themselves from the earth and fell into the newly formed crevasse, taking the herds with them.

Cera could just see her father just a little ways away as she approached a small dip. She called to her father as loudly as she could as she sprung forward. But before she could reach him, the land suddenly split in half, creating a huge gap. Cera screamed as she just managed to stop herself from falling off the edge before scrambling away.

As Littlefoot and Chomper approached a nearby rock, the earth below them shifted, elevating them up and leaving Mother Longneck below among plumes of dirt and dust. The two adopted brothers screamed as they clung fearfully to each other as the earthshake continued.

Then suddenly, almost as quickly as it came, the earthshake stopped. Dark clouds began to form in the red-tinted sky before the sky-water finally came down.

The land itself had changed drastically. Long, flat lands were now with cliffs and deep, wide chasms that cut through the ground like heavy wounds.

And on the lower level, Cera could only look in despair as her families faces peered over the top of the large wall of rock. The newly formed canyon made it impossible for her to reach them. All she could do now was call up to them, her voice being the only thing that could reach them now.

Meanwhile, Littlefoot and Chomper looked down from where they were, and were stunned silent as they gazed around at the destruction below.

"Mother." Littlefoot whispered, his face filled with dread.

"Come on." Chomper said, his voice thick with desperation. "We have to find her!"

The two then made their way down the ledge as fast as they could, climbing past broken rocks and constantly jump from one ledge to the other. The sky-water showed no mercy either as it pelted their skin, made the ground slippery, and made their vision vague with no signs of letting up.

Littlefoot and Chomper were soaked to the bone as the trudged on with their search. They were cold, tired, wet, and miserable. But that didn't matter to them at the moment as they were so focussed on finding their mother.

"MOTHER!" Chomper called, putting his little hands to his mouth.

"MOTHER, WHERE ARE YOU?!" Littlefoot also called.

The two brothers made another turn and nearly gasped at what they saw. Out in a large outcrop of rocks lay Mother Longneck, her body sprawled out on the rocks as blood oozed from her back.

"MOTHER!" Littlefoot and Chomper both cried, immediately rushing over to their dear mother. Mother Longneck tiredly raised her head as her two beloved children approached her.

"Mother," Littlefoot whimpered, "please get up."

Mother Longneck let out a weak cough. "I'm... not sure I can, Littlefoot." She replied feebly, trying and failing to hoist herself up.

"Yes, you can." Chomper pleaded. "Please, get up!"

Mother Longneck tried to stand, but her strength was gone, drained from exhaustion, blood loss, and shock. She sagged a bit before falling, making the rocks crumple away beneath her.

Littlefoot and Chomper fought back tears that sprung in their eyes as they sat down in front of their mother's face. Their little hearts felt like they were about to crack as they felt sick to the stomach.

"My dear, sweet children." Mother Longneck spoke, barely breathing. "Do you both remember the way to the Great Valley?"

Chomper sniffled a bit. "I guess we do." He quietly replied.

"But why do we have to know?" Littlefoot questioned, his voice breaking. "You're going to be with us, right?" He and Chomper were now barley holding back their tears as they lovingly nuzzled their mother.

"I'll always be with you." Mother Longneck whispered. "Even when you can't see me."

"What do you mean if we can't see you?" Chomper asked innocently. "We can always see you."

"Littlefoot, Chomper," Mother Longneck said, her breath incredibly shallow, "let your hearts guide you. They whisper, so listen closely."

And with those last words, Mother Longneck closed her eyes for the last time as she breathed her last breath.

"Mother?" Littlefoot whispered, his voice shaking. "Mother?!

"Mother, wake up!" Chomper begged tearfully, nudging Mother Longneck's now still face. "Don't leave us!"

But nothing happened. Nothing at all.

Littlefoot and Chomper burst into tears as they held each other, their little bodies wracked with heavy sobs as the realization quickly came to them.

Their mother was gone... forever.


	4. Coping

Chapter 4: Coping

A loud sky-flash suddenly lit up the dark, stormy skies, the loud crackling seeming to shake the sky itself. It snapped Littlefoot and Chomper back to reality with a nasty cold shock.

The storm was only getting worse, and they had to find shelter.

So, with great reluctance, the two shakily got up and walked away, taking one last glance back at the lifeless body of their mother before going back to seeking shelter. The ran continued to pelt on the young long-neck and the little sharp-tooth as they felt their limbs go nub from the intense cold.

The two dinosaur children both felt like wrecks as their stomachs ached and their heads throbbed, their cheeks slightly red and puffy from their tears mixed with the sky-water.

Without even looking to each other, Littlefoot and Chomper continued to walk further away from the site of their deceased mother, until eventually she was completely out of sight.

The sky-water continued to fall, the wind blowing fast and hard, and more sky-flashes crackling across the cloudy, ominous sky. Inwardly, Littlefoot and Chomper shivered as their anxiety began to overcome them, it was almost like the storm was hunting them, haunting them, tormenting them.

By some miracle, or a scant mercy per say, they soon came upon a formation of large rocks that had appeared to have toppled over during the earth-shake, creating a sort of cave that was just big enough for the two of them.

The largest rock that covered them was a few feet above their heads, allowing them to fully stand up as they entered the cave. However, there was a large, round rock that rested at the back of the cave, giving them very little room to move around. But still, at least it would keep them dry, and it just managed to shield them from the howling winds from outside.

Once fully inside the cave, both Littlefoot and Chomper collapsed on the floor of the cave near the back, they're strength completely gone at this point. Their tears continued to fall as the image of their mother's death replayed over and over in their minds, flat out refusing to leave them alone.

As the image of his adoptive mother's death played again, Chomper's thoughts also turned over to Sharptooth. His mother had been killed by Sharptooth, who was in fact a sharp-tooth like him. It was the thought of those glistening teeth, those soulless red eyes, and the savage roars that continued to haunt his mind.

Was this why other dinosaurs feared him so much? Because he was inevitably destined to become a savage killer? No, he couldn't let that happen. He _refused _to let that happen!

Littlefoot, on the other hand, was having a similar feeling. It was too painful to believe that his mother was gone. It tore him up completely on the inside. As Littlefoot lay on the ground, his thoughts turned back to Chomper.

Was this what Chomper's kind were really like? A bunch of cold-blooded murderers searching for their next meal? Was Chomper destined to become just like Sharptooth someday? The thought of it filled Littlefoot with fright as he subconsciously scooted away from Chomper.

More thunder continued to flash outside the cave as Littlefoot and Chomper both closed their eyes and drifted of to sleep, too tired to think anymore.

* * *

The next morning, Littlefoot and Chomper had been hoping that their mother's death was only a bad sleep-story. But when they realized that they were still in the cave that they had settled in the night before, the two adopted broke into tears again as they held each other tightly.

After they managed to calm each other down, the two set out of the cave, not knowing nor caring where they were going.

Neither one of them said anything to each other as they walked across the landscape for several hours. The sky remained mostly cloudy for the entire day, almost looking like more sky-water was going to fall again.

As they walked, the two adopted brothers walked along the edge of a steep slope. Pretty soon, their thoughts shifted back to their mother as tears once again filled their eyes.

However, they were so caught up in they're sorrow that Littlefoot lost his footing on the edge of the slope, causing him to slide down the steep hill. Chomper snapped out of his depressed state with a sharp gasp before he jumped and slid down the slope after his big brother.

The two slid down the steep slope at a fast pace before they landed in a small pile on a large rock. But then the rock suddenly shifted, making Littlefoot and Chomper realize that it was not a rock as they quickly jumped off.

"Hey, what's going on here?"

They looked to see a rather old-looking club-tail lying on the ground turn towards them. The club-tail was much larger than them with dark green skin, three rows of spikes on his back, a tan snout, piercing eyes, and thick wrinkled eye-ridges.

The young long-neck and the little sharp-tooth scooted away from them, tears still in their eyes as they sat nervously under the gaze of the club-tail.

The elderly club-tail seemed rather disgusted by what he saw as he gave a bit of snort. "What's your problem? Neither of you are hurt." He huffed. "And what are you doing with a sharp-tooth?" He asked Littlefoot.

"It's not fair!" Chomper sobbed as he and Littlefoot both scowled at the club-tail. "Why did she have to go?"

"She should've known better! That was Sharptooth!" Littlefoot added, sobbing a bit. He then turned his head away. "It's all her fault." He mumbled.

"All who's fault?" The elderly club-tail gruffly asked.

"Mother's!" Littlefoot and Chomper blurted out before they began to cry once more.

The elderly club-tail's face immediately softened. "Oh... I see." He whispered solemnly. "I see."

"Why did we wander so far from home?" Littlefoot whimpered.

"If we had just listened to mother..." Chomper choked on his words. "She would still be here."

"Oh, it's not either of your faults," The elderly club-tail said kindly, "and it's not your mother's fault. Now you two pay attention to old Rooter."

Littlefoot and Chomper stopped sniffling as they looked up to Rooter. The old spike-tail gave them a small, sentimental smile that managed to calm the two brothers down a bit.

"It is nobodies fault," Rooter said, his voice soft and wise, "The Great Circle of Life has began. But you see, not all of us arrive together at the end."

"What'll we do?" Littlefoot questioned tearfully. "We miss her so much."

"And you'll always miss her," Rooter continued softly, "but she'll always be with you as long as you remember the things she taught the both of you. In a way, you'll never be apart. For you are still a part of each other."

Littlefoot and Chomper both remained silent, digesting the elderly club-tail's kind words. "My tummy hurts." Chomper whimpered, placing his tiny hands on his belly.

Rooter gave a small chuckle. "Well, that too will go in time, little fella." He gently replied. "Only in time."

Then, without another word, the elderly club-tail simply turned around and walked away, leaving the two adopted brothers alone with only themselves.

A few moments passed before Chomper got up and sat down next to Littlefoot. The young long-neck flinched a bit as Chomper sat down next to him, something the little sharp-tooth noticed, but Littlefoot didn't move as he continued to lay down on the ground. The two then sat there for a while, snuggling up against each other in silence as they gazed out at the horizon, the sky having taken a harsh reddish-brownish hue.

"Littlefoot?" Chomper finally spoke up.

"Yeah?" Littlefoot asked, shifting his gaze towards the little sharp-tooth.

"We're still gonna find the Great Valley, right?"

Littlefoot gave a tired sigh. "Honestly... I don't know, Chomper. How can we go on without Mother?"

Chomper didn't say anything. Instead, he wrapped his little arms around his adopted big brother and pulled him into a tight embrace. "I miss her too, big brother." He said tearfully.

Littlefoot finally allowed himself to relax as he returned his adopted little brother's embrace. "I know, little brother."

The two remained like that for some time, holding in each other's embrace as time seemed to slow down.

"... Chomper?" Littlefoot spoke up, his neck wrapped around his adopted little brother.

"Mm hm?" Chomper asked.

"I'm glad your here with me." Littlefoot said with a sad smile.

The little sharp-tooth smiled back as they pulled each other tighter into their embrace, holding each other as close as they dared. Once they released from their hug, the two got up and began walking again.

Littlefoot and Chomper spent the longest time wandering aimlessly through the desert. The bright circle burned high in the sky through the clouds as they walked. They did stop every once in a while to get some rest and eat what little food they could find. But it wouldn't last long and soon they'd be out wandering once again.

The bright circle was going down fast over the horizon, leaving Littlefoot and Chomper no choice but to rest for the night in the open field. The two adopted brothers still said nothing as they laid down next to each other in the warm sand, allowing sleep to take them.

* * *

_The sandy earth shook beneath their little feet as Littlefoot and Chomper ran as fast they could with the __monstrous Sharptooth right on their tails. Chomper panted heavily as he ran, sweat pouring down his forehead, his chest burning with exhaustion as he pushed himself to keep running._

_Just then, Chomper suddenly found himself stuck in place. He looked down and gasped as he saw his feet were sinking into the sand. Chomper then looked behind him and screamed as Sharptooth came charging towards him! He held up his arms feebly, knowing that this was probably the end for him._

_But then to his surprise, Sharptooth simply ran past him, as if he didn't exist. Confused, Chomper looked out with horror as he realized that Sharptooth was instead now chasing Littlefoot!_

_"LITTLEFOOT!" Chomper cried._

_Sharptooth quickly managed to catch up with the young long-neck, pinning Littlefoot underneath his clawed foot. Littlefoot thrashed around wieldy, kicking and screaming, trying desperately to get free, but to no avail!_

_Chomper struggled with all his might before he finally managed to pull one foot free. After managing to pull the other one free, Chomper turned to see Sharptooth lowering his head slowly, jaws open and ready to kill._

_The little sharp-tooth gasped before his eyes narrowed with a low growl. Without hesitation, Chomper charged forward, bearing his teeth. Once he got close enough, Chomper lunged __forward and sunk his teeth into Sharptooth's back._

_The silvery taste of blood filled Chomper's mouth as he savagely tore off Sharptooth's flesh. The little sharp-tooth's instincts quickly took over as he continued to rip and tear as much as he could at the larger predator's body._

_Closing his eyes and panting, Chomper collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. However, once he opened them, Chomper gasped in horror as he saw it was not Sharptooth who he had sunk his teeth into, but Littlefoot._

_"L-Littlefoot?" Chomper breathed, tears already brimming in his eyes as he wobbled over to the mangled carcass of his adopted brother. No, this wasn't happening, this couldn't be happening!_

**_"And yet it is."_**

_Chomper jumped with a yelp as he turned to see Sharptooth looming over him, a sadistic grin on his scarred face. _**_"Do you understand now?" _**_Sharptooth questioned, his voice dripping with malice. _**_"Try as you might, you know you can't resist the hunger. The irresistible taste of flesh and blood."_**

_Chomper stumbled backwards, tripping over Littlefoot's body as he still tried __desperately to get away._

**_"Put as much distance as you want between yourself and the_ _truth as you wish, it changes nothing."_**_ Sharptooth stated. **"Pretend to be everything you are not, kind, caring, compassionate... but there is one unavoidable truth that you will never escape."**_

_Tears of fear and grief filled his eyes as he looked to Sharptooth now standing over the body of Mother Longneck, sinking his fangs into her flesh._

**_"You, like me, will always be... a monster."_**

_Sharptooth's last words echoed through Chomper's head. The echoing soon became louder and louder, forcing Chomper to cover his ear-slits with his hands as tears began fall down his cheeks. "No." He __murmured, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "No!"_

_"NOOO!"_

* * *

Chomper's eyes snapped open as he sat up with a sharp gasp. His heart raced as it beat rapidly against his chest, cold sweat rolling down his face as Chomper looked around frantically. He was still out in the dessert.

The bright circle had already risen, though it was mostly blocked by large clouds. It's reddish-golden light shone through the clouds, lighting up the quake-ravaged land and briefly blinding him for a moment, making him blink and shield his eyes.

The little sharp-tooth let out a heavy sigh as he finally relaxed. "It was just a bad sleep-story." Chomper sighed. However, as he looked around, he suddenly noticed that Littlefoot was gone!

"Littlefoot?" Chomper called out. There was no response except for the blowing wind.

"Littlefoot!" Chomper called again, cupping his hands on his mouth and raising his voice a little.

Still nothing.

The little sharp-tooth's fears immediately picked up again as he scrambled to his feet, his eyes desperately scanning the landscape for his adopted big brother. "Littlefoot!" Chomper cried out again, his little voice echoing across the land.

He then sniffed the air for a little bit before he finally caught Littlefoot's scent. Chomper immediately followed the scent as he ran along the desert for a short bit before he finally found Littlefoot standing in a large footprint that looked like it belonged to long-neck.

The young long-neck let out a sniffle as he nuzzled his cheek against it, whimpering mournfully. When he finally saw Chomper, Littlefoot hesitantly stepped out of the footprint, taking one last sad glance at it.

Chomper immediately rushed over to him and wrapped his little arms around his neck and pulling him into a tight embrace, making Littlefoot stagger a little. The little sharp-tooth stood on the tip of his clawed toes as he struggled to hold back the tears that threatened to spill while he buried his face into Littlefoot's chest. The little sharp-tooth's body shook violently as he clutched onto the young long-neck tightly, tears now dripping down his cheeks.

"Chomper...?" Littlefoot questioned in surprise, his voice filled with concern as he looked down at his shaking little brother.

The little sharp-tooth didn't respond as he only tightened his grip, tears still flowing.

Littlefoot's face turned solemn as he wrapped his long-neck around Chomper. The two remained like that for several minutes, clinging to each other like the poor, lost children they were.

_"Littlefoot... Chomper..."_

The long-neck and the sharp-tooth both jolted as they heard the whisper in the wind. Who had said that? It sounded like... mother! But that couldn't be! They saw what happened to her. How could she be speaking with them?

_"Littlefoot... Chomper..."_

Hearing the voice again, Littlefoot and Chomper both looked around for the source of the voice. But there was no one else around, much to their confusion. They were all alone.

A soft swishing was then heard as they looked up to see the tree-star that Mother Longneck had given them gently float down from the sky above. They watched closely as it landed almost gracefully in the large footprint.

Chomper loosened his grip on Littlefoot as they stood up and cautiously walked over to the tree-star. As they approached it, they noticed there was a small puddle of water in the center of the leaf, making it show their reflections.

_"Dear children..."_

The two brothers' eyes widened as they looked around for the voice. It _was _their mother's voice! But where was it coming from?

_"Do you both remember the way to the Great Valley?" _The voice asked as Littlefoot and Chomper gazed back it the tree-star.

Hesitantly, the long-neck and the sharp-tooth slowly shook their heads. They had been so caught up in their grief that they had forgotten the way.

_"Follow the bright circle past the great rock that looks like a long-neck and past the mountains that burn."_

Littlefoot and Chomper both nodded as they listened closely to their mother's instructions, leaning closer to the tree-star as they took the words to heart.

_"I'll be in your hearts my dear, sweet children." _Mother Longneck's voice said lovingly. _"Let your hearts guide you."_

Mother Longneck's voice then faded away into the near-silent wind, leaving the two children alone once more. For several moments, Littlefoot and Chomper remained completely still before looking to each other, neither one speaking or blinking as they came to a silent understanding.

Finally, Littlefoot picked up the tree-star in his mouth and gently placed it on his back, the water in the center trickling down his sides. He then turned to Chomper, who he now noticed seemed to be rather tense.

"Are you okay, Chomper?" Littlefoot asked in concern.

Chomper blinked for a moment. "Sorry, I just..." He trailed off for a moment. "I-it's nothing." He said quietly. "We should get going."

The young long-neck simply nodded, not wanting to push his boundaries any further.

* * *

The two then set out, remembering their mother's instructions as they followed the bright circle. They walked for what felt like forever, as their feet soon became numb from walking so long. Soon, they found themselves walking along the edge of the ravine that had divided them from their grandparents. The cliff rose up high towards the heavens above, reminding the two of them just how small they really were.

"Looks like we won't be able to go up that way." Littlefoot observed solemnly. "I'm not very good at climbing."

Chomper looked to the top of the cliff before he gazed down into the deep ravine below. "Me neither." He gulped, gazing down at his tiny arms. "Not with _these_ arms, anyway."

The bright circle continued to rise in the sky as the two brothers walked along the side of the ravine. As they walked, they kept searching for some way to get to the other side of the gorge, but found nothing, so instead, they decided to simply go around it if possible.

However, Chomper quickly picked up a familiar scent as they kept walking along the ravine.

"What is it, Chomper?" Littlefoot asked.

The little sharp-tooth sniffed the air again. "I think my sniffer's found something." Chomper then took a big whiff. "It's coming from over there!" He said, pointing far out in front of them.

Trusting Chomper's sniffer, the two cautiously followed the the scent before they spotted something on their side of the ravine just a few yards away. It was Cera! Indeed it was the young, head-strong three-horn they met the day before, wandering along the ravine as well, looking just as lost as they were.

"CERA!" Littlefoot and Chomper shouted in joyful recognition.

The two then raced over to the young three-horn, overjoyed to see a familiar face. But Cera, on the other hand, didn't seem to happy to see either of them as she frowned sourly at them.

"What do you want?" She questioned irritably as they approached.

Littlefoot and Chomper recoiled slightly, a bit startled by her hostility. "Uh... nothing." Littlefoot replied, trying not to tick her off. "Where are you going?"

"I'M going to find my OWN kind." Cera stated in a snoot tone, sticking her horn pridefully in the air. "They're on the other side."

"But we've looked all over here." Chomper spoke up as the three children peered into the ravine below. "You can't climb up to the other side."

"Maybe YOU can't!" Cera snorted, getting in the little sharp-tooth's face. She then jumped down onto a small ledge a short ways down from where they were standing, hanging just at the edge of the ravine and sloping down into the canyon below.

"Wait," Littlefoot called out quickly, "you could come with us. Me and Chomper are going to the Great Valley, maybe we could help each other."

However, Cera seemed to heavily disagree with that idea. "A three-horn does not need help from a long-neck!" She retorted snobbishly. "And especially NOT from a sharp-tooth!"

Chomper winced slightly at the nasty remark as Cera stuck her horn up in the air again and kicked some dirt into the two brothers faces. However, her little act of defiance instantly backfired on her as she slipped on the slick rock and slide down the slope into the darker canyon below, nearly disappearing into the darkness of the canyon while screaming all the way.

"Well at least we wouldn't be alone!" Chomper called down to the young three-horn as she landed at the bottom of the canyon.

Cera, feeling a dent in her pride, quickly got to her feet and glared angrily at the brothers. "Well, when I find my family I won't BE alone!" She then once again raised her horn and tail high in the air as she walked down through the ravine in a pompous fashion. "Three-horns can be very dangerous." Cera stated, continuing her little 'superiority' speech. "And they only TALK with other three-horns. And they only TRAVEL with other THREE-HORNS!"

Littlefoot gave a heavy sigh as he watched Cera disappear into the darkness of the ravine. But he was quickly snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a loud 'THUMP' right next to him. The young long-neck turned to see Chomper plopped down on the ground, gasping for breath.

Chomper was completely worn out, his legs and feet aching, sweat dripping down the sides of his snout, and his stomach growled with hunger.

"Are you alright, Chomper?" Littlefoot asked, lowering his head to the little sharp-tooth's level, his face full of concern. "You seem really tired."

"I'm okay." Chomper half-lied. "I just need to rest for a little bit." He then placed his hands on the ground and forced himself up. However, as soon as he took a single step, Chomper collapsed to the ground, exhausted.

Littlefoot couldn't help but smile kindly at his adopted little brother. "Here." He gently offered, gently helping Chomper up before turning his side to him. "I'll carry you."

Chomper smiled back in silent acceptance as he carefully lifted the tree-star from Littlefoot's back, holding it in his hands before hoisting himself up onto his brother's back. Almost immediately when he sat down, Chomper quickly fell asleep on Littlefoot's back, snoring slightly.

Littlefoot smiled fondly at the little sharp-tooth. "Sweet sleep stories, little brother." He said softly, giving Chomper an affectionate lick before he continued across the wasteland towards a small cluster of trees that was just on the horizon.

**HOO! I'm finally done. Sorry about all the ****delays, I've been really busy with stuff like school, but I'll be sure to update some of my other stories as soon as I can. See you later!**


	5. Friendship

Chapter 5: Friendship

Littlefoot soon arrived at the edge of the forest, carrying Chomper along with their Mother's tree-star on his back. Although most of the vegetation was dry, there were still some leafs left on a few branches. There was also water flowing down from a waterfall and into a small pond. The sun had now reached the center of the sky, creating a harsh light orange hue.

Chomper remained completely still on Littlefoot's back, snoring lightly as his chest rose up and down with every breath. His eyes then fluttered open as they approached the pond.

"How was your sleep?" Littlefoot asked, looking back at his little brother.

Chomper sat up on Littlefoot's back, rubbing the tiredness out of his eyes. "It was alright." He yawned, stretching his arms and smacking his lips.

Littlefoot shook his head with a smile. "There's some water right here." He said. "We should drink some."

The little sharp-tooth nodded with his own smile as he climbed down from the young long-neck's back. The two then walked to the water and bent their heads down to drink some of the water. The nice, cool feel of water slide down their throats as they drank, filling them up nicely before they sat down by the edge of the pond.

As they plopped down, their thoughts once again drifted back to their mother. The thought of her instantly filled them with grief. They missed her so much it made their insides hurt. Littlefoot shut his eyes to hold back the tears that were gathering in them. Chomper, meanwhile, gazed down at his reflection in the water, his face full of sadness and slight contempt.

Just then, Chomper felt his stomach growl greatly. The little sharp-tooth whimpered a bit as he placed his hands on his belly. He was so hungry! He had hardly eaten anything in the past few hours. He had to eat something.

Chomper got up and peered into the water, trying to see if there were any fish, but nothing. He looked around, sniffing the ground with his nose before he finally found a large bug crawling across the ground.

Keeping as quiet as he could, Chomper slowly crept up to the bug, getting ready to pounce. He waited as patiently as he could, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike, his instincts taking over.

The bug took a few steps.

_Steady..._

Chomper's body tensed as he got ready to pounce.

_Ready..._

He watched as the bug began to come closer to him.

_Now!_

Chomper lunged forward, jaws wide open as he pounced. But the bug suddenly crawled away before he could nab it, causing him to land belly-first on the ground. Frustrated, Chomper drove his tiny fist into the ground. Darn it!

Determined not to go hungry, the little sharp-tooth rose to his feet as he saw the bug crawl over to the edge of the pond. Slowly, Chomper tip-toed over to the edge of the pond as quietly as he could. He waited for the right moment before pouncing again, but the bug once again moved out of the way, causing him to fall into the pond.

Despite himself, Littlefoot laughed as Chomper lifted his head out of the water, completely drenched. The little sharp-tooth grumbled a little as he stood up in water. However, as he did, he felt something clinging to his tail. Confused, he tried shaking it, but whatever was holding it didn't let go.

"Hey, something's got my tail!" He said, shaking his tail again.

Surprised and a bit alarmed, Littlefoot rose to his feet and walked over to Chomper. "Is it hurting you?" He asked in concern.

Chomper shook his head. "No, but it won't let go!" He replied as he shook his tail even harder this time. As he shook his tail, he looked back to see a green object that was almost half his size holding onto it.

As he shook his tail, Chomper stepped out of the water, his body dripping wet. With one more shake of his tail, the green object finally let go, hitting the ground with a small thud just in front of them. To their surprise, it was a small swimmer.

"Ow, that hurt-ed!" The little swimmer moaned in a cute little-girl voice as she rubbed her head in pain.

Littlefoot and Chomper glanced to each other before looking back at the little green swimmer. Neither of them had really seen a swimmer up-close, especially a little one. The two were silent before Littlefoot took a bold step forward. "Um... are you alright?" He asked cautiously.

The little swimmer finally stopped rubbing her head, looking up at them with bright blue eyes. "I am alright. Yep, yep, yep!" She replied cheerfully. However, when she her gaze fell on Chomper, her eyes widened in fear as she immediately scrambled to her feet. "Y-you are a sharp-tooth!" She cried as she backed away.

"W-wait!" Chomper exclaimed, holding his arms out reassuringly. "I'm a friendly sharp-tooth."

The little swimmer seemed quite surprised by this, and even more so that a sharp-tooth could talk. However, Littlefoot and Chomper could easily see that the little swimmer was also somewhat skeptical. "I have not heard of a friendly sharp-tooth. No, no, no." She said, shaking her head a bit.

"Well he is." Littlefoot spoke, stepping forward. "This is Chomper, he's my brother."

The tiny swimmer's eyes widened slightly. "He is your brother?" She asked in surprise.

"Well... adopted brother, actually." Chomper added.

Surprisingly, the little swimmer actually nodded her head in understanding. "Oh, I see." She then smiled as she walked up to Chomper, making the young sharp-tooth feel a little nervous. "Besides, I think you are a cute sharp-tooth. I do, I do." She then hugged Chomper tightly, much to his and Littlefoot's shock. Was this swimmer so naive as to walk up to a sharp-tooth without expecting to get eaten? And better yet, she actually believed them?

Blushing slightly, Chomper gently pulled away from the little swimmer. "O-oh, t-t-thanks." He stammered, his face quite red in embarrassment. "So, your not scared of me anymore? And you don't find it weird that a sharp-tooth is traveling with a long-neck?"

"No, no, no." The swimmer said cheerfully. "I'm actually traveling with my big sister."

Just then, a loud voice that sounded older than the swimmer's called out, "Ducky, where are you?! Where are you, Ducky?!"

The three of them looked over to a small thicket from where the voice had come from. "I'm over here, Ruby! I am, I am!" The swimmer, now known as Ducky, loudly replied.

As they looked on, the leaves in the thicket rustled before a tall, pink female fast-runner, who looked to be about Littlefoot's age if not older, came bursting through the bushes. "Oh, Ducky! There you are!" The fast-runner exclaimed as she rushed forward and enwrapped Ducky in a tight, protective embrace. "I was so worried, so worried was I!"

Ducky giggled as she happily returned the embrace. "But I am alright, Ruby, I am, I am." She said as the pink fast-runner gently put her on the ground. The little swimmer then turned to Littlefoot and Chomper. "And I found some new friends, yep, yep, yep!"

The fast-runner, now known to them as Ruby, gazed over towards Littlefoot and Chomper, and to say she was surprised would be quite the understatement. Littlefoot and Chomper simply stared back, surprised themselves that a swimmer was traveling with a fast-runner.

The group remained almost completely silent before Littlefoot finally took a step forward. "So... who are you two?" He asked.

Ruby and Ducky glanced to each other before the pink fast-runner spoke up. "My name is Ruby, and this is Ducky." She replied, gesturing to herself and then to Ducky. "We were traveling together when we met you."

"Really?" Chomper asked before his face then turned to one of confusion. "Wait, your a fast-runner, and your a swimmer." He pointed out. "Why are you two together?"

Ruby and Ducky glanced to each other before turning back to the long-neck and the sharp-tooth. "Well, me and Ruby are adopted sisters. Right, Ruby?" Ducky spoke up, looking up at the pink fast-runner.

Ruby nodded happily. "Yes." She said. "Our parents actually found me when I was a hatchling. My real parents weren't around, so they decided to raise me." She then smiled as Ducky hugged her leg. "And we have been like sisters ever since."

Littlefoot and Chomper nodded as they took all that in. To them, it was quite a surprise to see that they weren't the only ones who were family with other kinds of dinosaurs, but it was a welcome one to say the least.

"Um... where's your family?" Littlefoot asked.

At that, Ruby and Ducky's faces saddened. "Well, we don't know where they are, don't know where they are we do." The pink fast-runner said sadly.

"We lost them in the great Earth-shake." Ducky added, tearing up as she sat down at the edge of the pond. "We are all alone. We are."

Ruby sat down next to adopted sister, gently stroking her small back with her hand in an attempt to comfort the little swimmer. Littlefoot and Chomper's hearts immediately filled with sympathy.

"... We're sorry about your family." Littlefoot finally spoke up.

"Yeah," Chomper added quietly, "we lost our mother."

The four dinosaur children were silent, sorrowful looks on their faces as they stared down at the ground. Littlefoot raised his head as he looked at Ruby and Ducky. They were just like him and Chomper, lost and alone with no parents to protect them.

"Do you want to come with us?" Littlefoot suddenly asked.

Ducky and Ruby snapped out of their sorrow as they gazed at Littlefoot with shock. Chomper also glanced up at his big brother in surprise. He was offering for these two to go with them? But then again, it did seem like the best option at the moment. Cooperation was survival out here after all.

"YES!" Ducky cried, bouncing up excitedly. She then noticed how startled they all looked and calmed down with a small giggle. She then turned to Ruby. "Can we go with them, Ruby? Can we? Can we?"

Ruby gazed at her adoptive little sister before looking back up at Littlefoot and Chomper. To be honest, she was a little skeptical about traveling with complete strangers, especially when one of those strangers was a sharp-tooth. But seeing as how they meant no harm, she supposed she couldn't see why not. Besides, these two were just like them; lost and alone without their families.

So with a smile, she nodded. "Yes, we can go with them. Go with them we can."

Littlefoot let out a small chuckle while Chomper smiled. "Alright, come on." The young long-neck said, turning and setting off into the forest with Chomper behind him.

"But you'll have to keep up." Chomper said with a somewhat teasing smile as Ducky and Ruby followed them.

"We will keep up." Ducky replied cheerfully as they leapt onto a large tree root that was half-way in the water. "We will."

Littlefoot then the jumped into the pond, splashing a bit of water as it was quite shallow, only coming up to his knees. Chomper soon followed him, jumping into the water as well. The water was a bit deeper for him due to his shorter stature, so it came up to about his waist.

"So, where are we going?" Ruby asked as she and Ducky jumped into the water after them.

Littlefoot turned his back head back to them. "To the Great Valley." He explained. "Me and Chomper aren't gonna stop until we find our grandparents." He stated, with the little sharp-tooth nodding in agreement.

"Do you think our family went to the Great Valley too? Huh?" Ducky asked, her and Ruby's eyes having a spark of hope in them.

Chomper gave a shrug. "Maybe." He replied as the four of them stepped out of the pond, walking past some dead trees and bushes. "Our mother said that's where all the herds are going."

"Oh, I hope, I hope, I hope." Ducky said, bouncing up and down a little before Ruby gently patted her head.

Littlefoot then suddenly stopped. He turned to the little swimmer and the young fast-runner. "My name's Littlefoot." He said after clearing his throat. "And this is my brother, Chomper." He added, gesturing to the little sharp-tooth.

"Hi!" Chomper cheerfully greeted with a smile, waving his hand.

Ducky happily waved back while Ruby gave a hesitant, but accepting smile as they continued on. As they walked, the ground beneath them became incredibly rocky with many visible cracks. Noticing that the group had now become rather quiet, Ducky decided to lighten the mood as she began hopping over the cracks, humming a little ditty to herself as she did so.

"Dee-dee-dee-doo-doo," The little swimmer hummed as she hopped over the cracks. Feeling a little playful himself, Chomper soon joined in as he too hopped over the cracks while humming with Ducky. And soon, it wasn't long before Littlefoot and Ruby joined in, giggling to themselves as they played along.

"Don't step on the crack or you'll fall and break your back." Ducky said as she finished hopping, causing the others to laugh joyfully. However, their laughter suddenly ceased when they heard a loud low grumbling sound.

The four children froze in their tracks. They looked around for the source of the grumble, their little bodies tense, but there was nothing. The rather dead forest fell silent again.

And just when they were getting a grip on themselves, the grumbling came again... and this time, Ducky _felt_ it.

Ducky looked down, her cheeks turning slightly pink as she clutched her stomach bashfully. "Hehe, my tummy is talking." She giggled. "It says, 'feed me! Feed me!'"

Another grumble was heard and this time, Littlefoot felt it. "Mine too."

The children quickly realized that they were all rather hungry. It was almost eerie how simultaneously starved they were. Looking at the ground, Chomper noticed the bug he had failed to catch earlier.

With a mischievous gleam in his eyes, Chomper slowly crept towards the bug and pounced again, this time finally catching the bug in his jaws. The sounds of crunching filled the air as he hungrily chewed on the bug before swallowing it.

When he turned back to the others, he noticed they looked rather startled, along with a hint of fear.

"O-oh, sorry." Chomper said sheepishly, blushing a bit in embarrassment. "I was just really hungry."

Littlefoot, Ducky, and Ruby still stared at him, though they were a little less tense now. As Chomper walked back over to them, Littlefoot glanced up at what appeared to be a dying fern tree. "Hmm... I wonder what this tastes like." Littlefoot pondered aloud before he clamped down on one of the vines with his teeth and pulled.

Suddenly, a high-pitched screech filled the air, startling the others.

"The tree is talking! It is, it is!" Ducky gasped.

"No it isn't." Littlefoot dismissed, his voice muffled as he continued to tug on the tree vine.

"You should not eat talking trees, Littlefoot, you should not." Ruby said, giggling a little.

But Littlefoot ignored them as he continued to tug on the vine. Soon enough, with a very strong tug, a small dark creature fell out of the tree, shrieking. It slid down the vine Littlefoot was pulling on before landing right on the young long-neck's face. Littlefoot's eyes widened before he screamed, letting go of the vine as it snapped back, throwing the little creature away.

Ducky and Chomper also screamed as they quickly ducked behind their siblings as the little creature crashed into the ground, breaking through one of the rocks in an almost cartoon-like fashion.

Deciding to be the brave one, Ruby stepped forward and peeked into the small hole. Inside was a small brown flyer with small leathery wings and big beady eyes. From the looks of it, the flyer about the same size and perhaps roughly the same age as Ducky.

When the small flyer looked up at her, his eyes widened in fear as he pulled himself into a little ball, practically shivering with fear.

"Oh, do not be afraid." Ruby said assuringly. "I will not hurt you. Hurt you I will not." She lowered her head into the hole as the others gathered around it. "What is your name?"

The little flyer gazed up hesitantly at her for a moment. "M-M-My name's P-Petrie." The little flyer stuttered shyly.

From outside the hole, Ducky giggled a bit, "Petrie, huh?" She asked between giggles as Petrie hesitantly scampered out of the hole. "Funny name."

Petrie looked around at all the new faces, seeming quiet and nervous. However, when his eyes landed on Chomper, his eyes immediately widened in fear as he let out a screech, startling the others.

"GAH! SHARP-TOOTH!" Petrie screeched as he scampered towards another fern tree as fast as he could.

"Wait! It's okay! He's a friendly sharp-tooth!" Littlefoot quickly said, trying to reassure the small flyer.

However, Petrie didn't seem to hear him as he began to frantically climb up the branch of the fern tree. But he was so panicked that he couldn't get a proper grip and as such, kept slipping and falling down.

Deciding to do it himself, Chomper cautiously walked towards Petrie, approaching him slowly as he lightly held up his arms.

The moment he saw the little sharp-tooth approaching him, Petrie immediately backed up against the stump of the fern tree, holding his wings out in front of him. "Please," Petrie begged, his body trembling all over, "Please no eat Petrie!"

Chomper slowed his approach. "It's okay," He said, making his voice sound as soothing and reassuringly as possible, "I'm not gonna eat you."

Still shaking, Petrie cracked an eye open as he lowered his wings slightly. "Y-Your not?"

The young sharp-tooth shook his head as he slowly stepped a little closer, holding his hands out in front of him to show the small flyer that he meant no harm. He then bent down and gently scooped Petrie up in his tiny hands.

Petrie shrunk greatly as Chomper scooped him up. The little sharp-tooth slowly raised Petrie, being as gentle as he possibly could. Summoning what little courage he had, the small flyer finally looked Chomper right in the eyes. Chomper's expression was soft and warm, almost... gentle. Looking at him now, Petrie was slightly less frightened of Chomper than when he first glanced at him. The look in his reddish-brownish eyes was one of kindness.

Then, the little sharp-tooth offered Petrie a kind, welcoming smile. To which, Petrie hesitantly smiled back.

With that seemingly resolved, Chomper gently placed Petrie on the ground before taking a few steps away.

"I-I-I flied?" Petrie asked, his tone of voice almost eager as he almost immediately changed the subject.

"No," Ducky shook her head. "you falled."

"I falled?!" The little flyer wailed as he flopped down on the rocky ground, whimpering almost pitifully.

"You can't fly?" Chomper asked in confusion before looking up to the fern tree. "But how did you get up there?"

"I climb!" Petrie replied, leaping to his feet and flapping his wings to show a sort of climbing method.

"But... you are a flyer, not a faller." Littlefoot pointed out, feeling a little confused by Petrie's rather odd inability.

"Hard thing to fly." Petrie said glumly before his face suddenly filled with determination. Then, as if to prove his point, the little flyer suddenly leapt into the air, flapping his wings rapidly as he tried to fly. However, Littlefoot, Chomper, Ruby, and Ducky quickly noticed his panic as he slowly flopped back down to the ground.

"I guess it is." Littlefoot replied, a chuckle in his voice as the others simply stared at him. "We can't do it."

"No, we cannot do it. Do it we cannot." Ruby nodded in agreement, a small giggle escaping her.

Chomper then smiled as he bent down towards Petrie. "Hey, we're going to the Great Valley to find our families." He said sincerely. "Want to come with us?"

Petrie gazed up at him, seeming surprised by his sudden offer. Initially, had Chomper offered him this chance earlier, Petrie would've outright refused out of his fear of the young sharp-tooth. But after Chomper calmed him down, he began to see that Chomper was not like other sharp-teeth. He was not some mindless monster from his mother's stories that only thought about it's next meal and would stop at nothing to kill everything in sight, no. Chomper... was almost just like any other flat-tooth. He talked like them, acted like them, and even almost seemed like one of them. So, perhaps he could be trusted?

The little flyer remained silent before he gave a small nod, which was all they needed.

Ruby stepped forward and gently picked up Petrie, lightly placing him on Littlefoot's back. "My name is Ruby." She introduced herself before gesturing to the others. "And these are Littlefoot, Chomper, and my little sister Ducky."

With the introductions out of the way, the small herd continued forward, following the bright circle as it slowly crossed the sky in all it's beauty.

**Finally done with this chapter. And yes, I decided to put Ruby in this story since so many people in the reviews were asking for it.**


	6. Awakening

**Hey, guys! Before we start this chapter, I just want to say that I'm taking a little break from my Tmnt fanfics because I've kinda lost interest in them. For now I'm gonna be focussing on this story and do a few more stories before I get back to them. Hope you enjoy!**

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Chapter 6: Awakening

Cera was not happy. To say she was upset would be a bit of an understatement. It had been a while since she left Littlefoot and Chomper, but her resentment towards them still stayed even as she descended down the gorge, heading into a large underground cavern. Small bits of light peeked down through the cracks in the ceiling, illuminating the cavern in a dim glow.

The young three-horn grumbled to herself as she leapt from a wide ridge that jutted out from the wall onto a small piece of rock before jumping onto another thin ridge. As her feet landed on the ridge, she swore she felt that the ridge didn't even feel like rock, rather more like smooth skin. However, she brushed this off, her head still in the clouds of resentment.

"What makes them so special?" She questioned, her angry mutterings echoing throughout the cavern. It was blasphemous, different species traveling together? Bah! She didn't need anyone, not from a long-neck, and especially not from a dirty monstrous sharp-tooth. Cera gave a small huff, if she was in Littlefoot's place, she would have left that sharp-tooth to fend for himself. "I can find my own way to the Great Valley, all on MY own!"

Cera was so caught up in her own thoughts that she didn't notice how the ridge she was standing on suddenly descended in a very steep hill. Her foot slipped forward, snapping her out of her negative thoughts as she forced herself to regain her balance. Looking around, the shafts of light painted ominous shadows on the walls. The pointed rocks on the ceiling of the cavern jutting out like poisoned teeth ready to rip the flesh from the bones of they're victims.

Though not willing to admit it, something about the place made Cera feel uneasy. Not just the spooky shadows, but rather something else that she couldn't quite put her paw on it.

As she observed her surroundings, her fear slowly creeping in, Cera took a step back and gasped as she clumsily slipped and lost her footing. The young three-horn tumbled down the steep hill, rolling down like a rock before landing on her belly at the side of the hill.

Cera shook her head of her dizziness and stood up to her feet, her pride dented a bit. She then shook her whole body, shaking the dirt off her skin. Darn hill, how could she be so clumsy? A strong three-horn would be smart about this and not slip and fall.

She turned towards the hill to childishly yell at when she managed to get a better look at it. The hill that she had tumbled down didn't look like a hill at all. The top most part of it hand a long thick tail between two giant tree-like things that appeared to have... clawed-feet?

Cera's heart backflipped into her stomach as a slow feeling of dread began to seize. The young-horn quickly realized that this was not a hill at all. She looked further down the 'hill' she had slipped on, noticing two tiny arms with equaling tiny claws sticking out. The light protruding through the ceiling began to expand as looked to the bottom of the fake hill.

And what she saw made her blood run cold and her heart nearly stopped beating.

Right there in front of her was a giant head flipped upside down, eyes closed with rock-like eyelids. But the most terrifying was the large gaping maw lined with rows of seemingly thousands of razor sharp teeth that made Cera recognize the creature instantly.

_It was Sharptooth!_

Cera stood there, frozen with fear. Her legs trembled and her eyes shook as she gazed upon the monster. Her heart beating a million miles a minute. She wanted to run, but her legs wouldn't move. She wanted to scream, but her breath caught in her throat. It was soon becoming hard for her to even breath as she was so petrified.

It was only when a small pebble fell from the ceiling and hit the ground did Cera finally find her voice.

Cera screamed at the top of her lungs in terror as she quickly turned tail and dashed behind a nearby boulder. She got down her belly, trying frantically to keep her body behind the large boulder, covering her eyes with her paws and tucking her tail between her legs. She waited for Shaprtooth to get back up, to hear that earth shaking stomping, the sound of those gnashing teeth, and the loud blood-curdling roar.

To her surprise, nothing happened.

Summoning what remained of her courage, Cera slowly peeked out from behind the boulder and gazed at the massive biter. Sharptooth lay flat on his back, his tail draped over a pillar of rocks that had fallen during the great earth-shake. His small arms sticking up in the air like dried up tree branches on a fallen log.

But more importantly, to the young three-horn's relief, the monster was completely unmoving, eyes shut, limbs hanging limply, not even any signs of breathing.

Cera, feeling more bold, walked right up to the monster's seemingly dead body. Still, Sharptooth did not move. Now being brash, she stuck her tongue out her mouth and blew a raspberry tauntingly. She continued the taunt as she began ramming her little horn into his snout.

"Not so tough now, are ya?" She asked, feeling cocky.

Overflowing with confidence, Cera backed up and got ready to charge.

_Steady..._

She scraped her foot against the ground and her muscles tensed as she lowered herself down.

_Ready..._

She lifted her horn up, growling a bit through gritted teeth, her tail wagging behind her in eager anticipation.

_Now!_

Cera charged forward, her legs moving faster than any fast-runner's, her head low but her horn up high. She aimed straight for Sharptooth's eye, intending to impale it with her horn. Already she could the glory she was about to gain and a hint of a smile grew on her lips as she drew closer and closer to the monster.

However, that proved to a big mistake.

As she was within inches of the terrible beast, Sharptooth's eye suddenly snapped open, showing her reflection in the eye of the monster!

Cera's eyes widened and she let out a scream as she came to screeching halt, just stopping inches away from the predator's bright orange eye.

Her earlier confidence now completely demolished, the only thing that came to Cera's mind was to run. And so she did as she turned around, nearly slipping on the dirt before running away from the beast as fast as she could.

Sharptooth felt weak as he turned himself over, growling lowly as he shook the pain from his throbbing head. As he shifted to his feet, he sniffed the air intently, quickly recognizing the scent.

It was that little female three-horn he had encountered the other day. The scent made the memories of the previous night resurface. Anger within fueled his frenzy. His prey, that little long-neck brat, wouldn't have escaped had his mother not intervened.

But then the monster's thoughts shifted again, and a new anger even stronger than the last filled him.

It was that insolent little sharp-tooth child traveling with those long-necks. A member of his own kind betraying him. Siding with those pitiful leaf-eaters which he called food.

However, the biter knew the mother long-neck's wounds were most likely fatal. She must have succumbed to them by now. That thought gave him some peace of mind. What fueled that peace for him was now her little ones were defenseless.

Even if one of them was a sharp-tooth like him, they wouldn't dare try to defend themselves against the scariest dinosaur of them all.

Following the strong scent of the young three-horn, Sharptooth gingerly maneuvered through the large cavern and out into the open. The Bright Circle was high in the sky and shining brightly through the thin, wispy clouds.

He sniffed the air again and quickly caught scent of the three-horn again. And to his luck, he also caught the scent of the long-neck and the little sharp-tooth.

The three-horn was fleeing in their direction.

A deep, guttural, growl escaped the beast's throat.

He was ready for revenge, for blood to be spilled. The blood of the insolent children who had dared to try and escape him.

He would kill the long-neck first, the one he wanted to eat in the first place. And he would make sure his end wasn't swift. He would make it slow and painful, ending the little long-neck's life with terror.

He would go after the little sharp-tooth next. After he killed the long-neck, he would take the little sharp-tooth and teach him the proper ways of being a biter, saving him from the brainwashing of those dastardly leaf-eaters.

His mouth watered as he imagined the taste of the long-neck's flesh.

He would taste it very soon.

His blood-shot eyes glistened with malicious and savage intent as he set out on his journey towards his fleeing prey.

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**Done. Sorry for the short chapter, but this is all I could do for now. So I hope you like it!**


	7. Rumors

**Hey, I'm back, got nothing to say, here's the new chapter. Enjoy.**

Chapter 7: Rumors

The small group of four stopped to eat, once again hungry. While Littlefoot, Ducky, Ruby, and Petrie ate whatever vegetation was available, Chomper was forced to scrounge around on the ground for bugs.

Chomper's stomach growled, and he knew he was getting hungrier as his stomach throbbed. He noticed out of the corner of his eye his friends were still eating what little food they could find. Chomper tried to turn away, but his eyes remained glued on them.

Littlefoot and Ruby were so big... they looked so, so... appetizing.

The little biter shook these horrid thoughts from his head. _"No! Stop it!" _He scolded himself mentally. _"I'm not like that! I'm not like Sharptooth! Why would I even think that?! Of my own brother?!" _However, the more he pondered it, the more his new unwanted craving for meat and flesh increased, and this scared him immensely as he began to hyperventilate, so much so that he had to cover his mouth a bit. He felt like he was going to pass out as his heart began beating a thousand miles a minutes.

He needed to find something, anything to eat to just have these thoughts leave him be.

To his luck, Chomper spotted a tiny lizard crawling across the ground, seemingly oblivious to the sharp-tooth standing above it. Unable to resist and out of pure instinct, Chomper lunged forward, his jaws open, and scooped the lizard up into his mouth.

Chomper chewed the lizard, crushing it in his teeth, tasting the blood. He had half expected it to taste horrible, but instead it was like the best thing he had ever tasted. The slivery-metal taste of the lizard's meat felt strangely good as he swallowed it, and he found himself almost wanting, craving for more. Chomper quickly caught what he was thinking and shook his head. _"No!" _He thought firmly. _"Stay in control. Stay in control. Stay in control."_

"Chomper?" Littlefoot's voice snapped him out of his mental mantra. The little biter turned to see his adopted big brother eyeing him with concern while the others simply stared in a bit of confusion. "Are you feeling alright?"

Chomper didn't say anything, his mind fumbling for what to say. "Y-yeah, I'm fine." He lied, for in truth, he was not fine.

While Ducky, Ruby, and Petrie simply shrugged this off, but Littlefoot was not fooled as he still gazed at his little brother. He noticed the conflicted look in the little biter's eyes and his heart filled with concern and sympathy.

Ever since their mother's death at the claws of Sharptooth, Chomper had clearly not quite been himself. Before, he was usually cheerful and optimistic. And while he still was most of the time, they seemed to be a little strained, almost forced, as if he was trying to cover up how he was really feeling. He had also been acting a bit more timid and aggressive than usual, which honestly made Littlefoot feel uneasy. Inwardly, he felt ashamed for being even a little bit frightened of his own brother, who he loved and cherished above almost all else, but his instincts were telling him otherwise.

"Chomper, if there's something wrong, you can always tell us." The long-neck reminded him, giving him a comforting nuzzle. The little biter leaned into the nuzzle and, though for some reason a bit hesitantly, nuzzled him back. Ruby, Ducky, and Petrie remained silent, letting the two have their moment.

"Do not worry, Chomper." Ducky spoke up cheerfully, walking up to Chomper's side. "We are your friends, yup, yup, yup."

"Ducky is right, Chomper. Right Ducky is." Ruby added, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. Petrie hopped off of Ruby's back and landed on Chomper's head, giving him a supporting smile. He hadn't known the little biter for that long, but was willing to offer whatever support he could.

"Thanks, guys." Chomper said, smiling even though Littlefoot could easily tell it was forced. "But I'm fine, really." With that, the little sharp-tooth walked passed them.

Littlefoot frowned a bit as his concern began to grow into worry. But he didn't want to prod any further than he had to. Chomper would tell him what was wrong, he just had to give him time.

After eating what they could, the group set out on their arduous journey again. They hadn't gone more than a quarter of a mile when a chilling snarl hit their ears.

"What that?" Petrie shivered fearfully.

"Shh." Littlefoot shushed, moving into the shadow of a large tree root, the others quickly following.

Chomper slowly peeked over his adopted brother's shoulder and sniffed the air. He quickly caught the scent, it was close. It was not a scent he was familiar with, but he could tell there was something about it that made him feel uneasy.

At that moment, from the other side of the root, a large creature with sharp teeth crawled into view. From what they could see, the creature walked on four legs, with big toe-claws that dug into the dirt. The thing that stood out the most about the creature was the giant sail on it's back.

The sail-back (as they would later call it), growled and hissed for a brief moment as it stopped close to the group's hiding place. The children sucked in their breath, waiting and silently praying the creature wouldn't see them.

Nobody moved, nobody spoke. Some of them even began sweating a bit out of nervousness.

Suddenly, as if suddenly disinterested with the area, the sail-back slowly crawled away. The children remained behind the root, still waiting as the steps of the sail-back's footsteps faded into the distance.

Once they couldn't hear them anymore, the small group set out on their path. Though the encounter had been brief, it was far too close for comfort. Fear of an impending ambush was still on their minds as they travelled on.

The Bright-Circle's orange-reddish light burned down through the branches of the trees, creating jagged shadows reminiscent of claws and teeth. The ground below them was completely barren, not even a trace of dead leafs on the ground, as only large roots from the dead trees around them could be seen.

Petrie, of course, was immensely skittish, jumping a bit at every sound he heard. One rather loud growl from the distance was enough to scare him out of his wits as he yelped, scrambling up Littlefoot's back and grabbing onto his head.

"Ow!" Littlefoot winced as Petrie's little feet gripped his nose rather painfully. "Hey, Petrie! Get off!"

The little flyer neither answered nor budged. He continuously shivered, almost petrified under the tree-star that gracefully landed on him.

"Petrie, it's okay. Okay it is." Ruby said reassuringly, gently lifting Petrie off of Littlefoot's head and letting him perch on her back. Petrie, still in a bit of a panic, leaped onto her head, grabbing her crest. "Ow! Ow! Ow!"

Petrie grinned sheepishly. "Oh, sorry, Ruby." He apologized, letting go of her crest, giving it a few light pats for comfort. "But we all alone out here. What if sharp-teeth attack?"

Down at Littlefoot's feet, Ducky shivered and cowered beneath him. Chomper, instead of looking fearful, looked down at the ground as his expression turned to one of shame, uncomfortably rubbing his little arm with his small hand.

The little flyer quickly noticed this. "Oh, sorry, Chomper."

"It's okay." Chomper replied, sounding more like a mumble than an actual response.

Littlefoot looked at his little brother with eyes of sympathy and an expression of pity before he looked ahead, his brows furrowing. "There aren't any sharp-teeth." He stated, sounding unintentionally more annoyed than assuring. He could not, however, restrain a barely noticeable shudder in his speech. "So stop worrying, already."

Chomper, on the other hand, did notice. He knew his big brother well enough to the point of knowing that he himself could tell if there was even the slightest hint of emotion in his voice. He didn't blame Littlefoot, though. Everyone else seemed pretty on edge, including himself. It must come from the feeling that they were just a bunch of lost kids without any grownups and were blatantly very vulnerable.

Petrie was again the most notably frightened of the group. So much so that he climbed off Ruby's head and scampered back on to Littlefoot's head again, his little talons getting caught in the tree-star, shredding it a little.

This of course, alarmed Littlefoot and Chomper.

"Hey!" Littlefoot yelled, now sounding frustrated. "Your tearing my tree-star!"

"Mother gave that to us!" Chomper added, sounding nervous and a bit saddened, unlike his brother. "It's very special."

"Ooh, mother present. Very important, oh, yes." Petrie said, picking up the tree-star and inspecting it closely. He then wrapped the tree-star up and clutched it closely to his chest "I keep safe. Don't let nobodies touch."

"Yes, Petrie, you keep it safe. Yep, yep, yep." Ducky agreed.

"Nope, nope, nope." Littlefoot rebuked, shaking his head, making Petrie let go of the tree-star, which into his mouth. "I'm not a carrier, get off." He then began to run, much to Petrie's terror.

Petrie yelped loudly as he grabbed Littlefoot's nostrils, clinging on for dear life as the long-neck ran.

"Open your wings, Petrie!" Ducky exclaimed, flapping her arms and jumping up and down as the others ran after Littlefoot. "Open! Open!"

"C'mon, Petrie, you gotta do it!" Chomper said. "Flap your wings!"

"No! No! I can't do it!" Petrie cried, bouncing up and down on Littlefoot's head, but his grip still firm.

"You _can_ do this! You can fly!" Littlefoot argued, not slowing his pace. "Now open your skinny wings!"

"Up, Petrie! Higher! Higher!" Ruby encouraged. Of course, since she was a fast-runner, Ruby easily lived up to her namesake as she sped past the others, scooping Petrie up in her arms and holding him up high. "Higher like a flyer!"

Their words of encouragement unfortunately fell death to the little flyer's ears as Petrie looked ahead, his eyes widening to the point that they bulging in terror at what he saw. "Danger!" He screeched.

"Where, Petrie?" Ducky asked, hopping up on Littlefoot's back as everyone continued running.

"T-t-t-there! Ahead!" Petrie cried, bouncing up and down in Ruby's arms.

However, this warning proved to have given too late as the group suddenly noticed the remains of a large skeleton just ahead of them. Most of the bones on the skeleton were missing, the only remaining parts being the spine with a part of the tail and the skull which were all being held up in the air by a few vines. Needless to say, from the children's standpoint, the skeleton looked terrifying.

Ruby barely managed to stop herself as her feet landed in a slippery puddle of mud in front of her. Her clawed toes dug into the ground, just managing to bring her to a stop. However, things did not end there as Littlefoot (with Ducky still on his back) and Chomper were unable to stop in time as they slipped on the mud, their momentum causing them to slam right into Ruby.

They smashed into her with such force that it knocked the Fast-Runner off balance as the small group slid across the mud in an end-to-end spin. The mud splashing all over them as they collided with the dangling skeleton. The skeleton jerked back at the force of the children slamming into it, before the lose vines holding it up suddenly gave out, causing the skeleton to fall right on top of them.

Naturally, the kids were immediately freaked out by having some large, rather abnormal skeleton griping them closely to it. So, they panicked, running around in a stumbling tangle of limbs, loud shouts and grunts and unintelligibly frightened gibberish as they tried to shake the skeleton off.

They were so caught up in trying to get rid of the skeleton, that none acknowledged or even seemed to hear over their own noises as a terrified scream rang out through the dead forest.

Soon, the children began running up a small hill, stumbling and trampling over each other in a clumsy ball of limbs as the skeleton bounced up and down them.

Chomper, whilst he and everyone else was scrambling to get free of the skeleton, unconsciously sniffed the air. His nostrils quickly caught a familiar scent heading straight for them. For a moment, the little biter stopped struggling and just tried to stay on his feet as he looked over the hill to see...

_... Cera?_

Indeed it was. The little three-horn was running towards them frantically fast and hard, frequently looking over her shoulder. Her eyes were wide and frantic, full of fear. It was quite obvious that she was very spooked.

As the kids bounded over and down the small hill, they all finally spotted Cera dashing towards them. Finally pulling themselves upright, Littlefoot was the first to try to stop, planting his feet into the ground. Ruby and Chomper soon followed as they two planted their feet, their clawed toes dug into the dirt. The group came to a screeching halt, their momentum causing the skeleton to fly off.

The skeleton flung off of the children, breaking apart in mid-air and hitting Cera, knocking her onto her back.

Cera panted heavily, remaining on her back, trying to steady her heart-beat. Her mind was still reeling from what she had seen minutes ago, though they fel like seconds. Her thoughts were still in a jumble from the sudden impact of the pieces of skeleton colliding with her. Sharptooth was alive! Somehow, the terrible beast had survived the fall into the gorge.

"Cera! It's you!" Littlefoot said, snapping her of her thoughts. He now spoke with a concerned tone. "What happened? Why are you so frightened?" He asked, noticing the look of startlement and even fear in her eyes and expression.

Cera instantly frowned, immediately covering up her paranoia as she sat up. "Frightened? Me?" She scoffed, getting a bit in Littlefoot's face. She then laughed mockingly as she pushed past Littlefoot.

"Yeah, well, you looked you just saw a monster." Chomper shrugged.

Cera looked back and glared at the little sharp-tooth. "Why are YOU so frightened?"

Littlefoot, Chomper, Ruby, Ducky, and Petrie all stared blankly at her. What did that have to do with anything?

"We are not frightened. Frightened we are not." Ruby explained.

"Well you should be!" Cera snapped, a hint of terror slipping in her voice, something Chomper noticed.

Then, almost discreetly, her expression changed to slightly mischievous. "I could be with other three-horns, but I came back to warn you," The three-horn then grinned as she slowly advanced on them, "I... met... the Sharptooth!" She said dramatically.

The very mention of that name sent a cold wave of terror throughout everyone as their hearts leapt into their throats.

"_SHARPTOOTH!" _Petrie screeched, jumping up and latching onto Littlefoot's neck, shaking like a leaf.

Ducky herself let out a cry of fear as she rushed to hide behind Ruby's foot.

Littlefoot and Chomper felt a nasty shock as the memories of their dying mother came back at them, flashing before their eyes. Chomper looked down to the ground almost shamefully while Littlefoot bit his lip.

"C'mon, Cera!" Littlefoot retorted, a slight shake in his voice. "Sharptooth is dead!"

"Yeah, he fell down into the big underground during the earth shake." Chomper quickly added. "We all saw it happen!"

"And THAT'S... where he met me!" Cera brashly replied, puffing out her chest as she continued her dramatic charade.

"Oh, dear, brave Cera." Ducky praised, admiring Cera's story.

"Dear, brave Cera." Petrie praised.

Littlefoot glared heatedly at Cera and Chomper gave her an annoyed, though less angered look. Ruby, meanwhile, was more or less analyzing Cera's story as she stared blankly at the three-horn.

For much of her life, Ruby was easily able to tell if someone was lying or not. It had just been a bit of a knack for her to know if someone was making a fabrication. And she could easily tell right now that Cera was making up the whole story to try and make herself sound brave and heroic. However, the fast-runner could also see a blatant fear in her eyes that was trying desperately to stay hidden, however, Ruby could see right through her.

"Yes," Cera smiled, swelling with more pride. "I am brave."

"Really?" Ruby spoke. "Because I am not sure you are as brave as you say you are."

Cera instantly scowled as she glared at the fast-runner. "Like an egg-stealer would know anything." She growled.

Ducky gasped, her admiration for the three-horn quickly being cast aside. "Cera, that is not a nice thing to say! No, no, no!"

"I do not steal eggs! Steal them I do not!" Ruby protested angrily.

"And Sharptooth is DEAD!" Littlefoot snapped.

"My father tells me flat-heads have very little brains." Cera smirked arrogantly, much to Littlefoot's ire.

Chomper frowned, placing his small hands on his hips. "Oh, yeah? Well I heard that beak-noses have even smaller ones." He retorted, though bluffing as he had completely made it up, though at this point he too had lost his patience with Cera.

The others looked towards Chomper in surprise, especially Littlefoot, as none of them had seen the young biter be so aggressive before. When he and Littlefoot first met the three-horn, he had been very calm and patient around her. But this new hostile side of his attitude seemed almost out of character, even for him.

Cera meanwhile scowled again, glaring sourly at the little sharp-tooth. Her pride would not allow this. She, a proud and strong three-horn like herself, would not be told off by the likes of a filthy sharp-tooth. "Well, at least we're smarter than dirty rotten sharp-teeth!" She snapped, walking up and getting in Chomper's face.

However, Chomper refused to give ground as he simply stood there, glaring back at Cera, his little fists clenching. His tiny claws nearly piercing the skin of his tiny palms. He seemed to almost even be snarling. Though he said nothing, there was another voice inside his head, whispering to him,

_Hurt her, she insulted your friends. She insulted your brother. She insulted you. She deserves to be punished. _

Chomper did not break his stare with Cera, but his eyes gave a barely noticeable shake.

_Tear her apart, you know you want to._

_"No."_ Chomper rebuked mentally, quickly silencing the voice.

Taking his silence as a sign of backing down, Cera strolled past him, puffing out her chest, her smug smile returning to her lips. She then jumped up on a curved board of wood, the board shaking and tilting as she walked along it. She then stopped by Littlefoot as she began her tale again.

"I was all alone with him in dark, the sharp-tooth and me." She began dramatically, Petrie letting out a whimper atop Littlefoot's head as the long-neck and the sharp-tooth glared at her. She then turned back towards Ducky and Ruby, her grin becoming even wider, if that was possible. "I could hear him breathing..." She then let out a loud, dramatic breathing and snarling sound.

Ducky whimpered as she ducking under the board in fright. "Wh-what happened then?" She asked.

Cera's smirk grew even wider, "I could see his one, big, ugly eye looking for me." She stated ominously, leaning in closer to Ducky.

The little swimmer gasped as she climbed up onto the wooden board. "What did you do? Huh? Huh?"

The brash three-horn's smirk then turned casual. "I walked right up to him," She started as she walked back along the board, the slab of wood teetered slightly as she walked directly up to Littlefoot and Chomper. "I looked him straight in the eye," She continued ominously, relishing the now faded looks of anger and now a blatant nervousness in them. "And then..." She then paused dramatically, building up the tension and suspense of her tale.

Suddenly, without warning, Cera jumped up and landed on the end of the board, making the most intimidating yell she could muster. Her little scare seemed to have worked for a split-second as Littlefoot flinched while Chomper and Petrie flat out jumped and yelped in fright.

However, their attention was immediately set on Ducky as since she was on the other end of the board, she was sent catapulting through the trees and out of sight.

"Ducky!" Ruby cried in panic as she immediately ran after her little sister, with the others quickly following behind.

* * *

Ducky sailed between the thin branches and was plummeting straight to the ground, but by some pure stroke of luck, she was saved by a loose vine that caught her around her waist, breaking her fall. She then flopped over the vine before falling to the ground, her tiny body landing in a small pile of rocks.

Raising herself up, Ducky shook the dizziness from her head as she gazed around at her newfound surroundings. She was about ready to call out to her friends when she heard a strange sound coming from nearby. Ducky looked to see that the sound was coming from a clump of tall range grass hidden slightly by some rocks.

Curious, the little swimmer cautiously ventured over to the clump of tall grass.

"DUCKY! WHERE ARE YOU?"

"DUCKY!

Although she could hear her friends close by, her sister Ruby sounding the most worried, Ducky's curiosity ultimately made her deaf to their calls as she investigated the tall grass.

Pushing the tall reeds aside, Ducky poked her head inside the bush and to her surprise, in the center in what appeared to be an abandoned nest lay an abnormally large egg.

The egg then shook again, the sound of cracking coming from the shell of the egg. And while she could definitely hear the cracking noise, she could now also hear the muffled sound of snoring coming from inside the egg.

"Hello?" She called as she placed the side of her head against the surface of the egg, listening closely to the snoring. She then walked clockwise around the egg, running her hand along the smooth exterior of the shell.

Suddenly the egg jolted and the top of it cracked, startling her slightly. As Ducky continued to pace around it, a large head lifted up the broken shell pieces as a pair of eyes peeked out and watched her.

When Ducky looked up at them, they quickly ducked back inside the egg. "You should come out," She happily urged as she climbed up onto the top of the egg. "You should. You are late, yes you are. Yep, yep, yep!"

Instead of coming out, however, the hatchling inside the egg grunted and snored sluggishly, as if perfectly content with staying inside the shell.

"Come out!" Ducky sternly though rather adorably encouraged, lifting the top off and tossing it aside. "You are all alone," She pointed out, peeking inside the egg, "are you not scared, huh?"

A face of a newborn dinosaur peeked out of the shell. The hatchling smiled at Ducky with droopy purple eyes before giving a huge yawn and falling over onto his back.

"We're going to the Great Valley," Ducky explained, peeling apart the rest of the egg shell. "You can come with us. Yes, you can."

When the little swimmer broke apart the last piece of the shell, the hatchlings tail flopped out. Looking down, Ducky caught a quick glimpse of four green bumps on the end of the tail.

"You are a spike-tail," She observed, "So, we'll call you Spike."

Once freed from the confinements of his shell, the newly named Spike flipped onto his front and began immediately eating the grass around him.

Ducky stepped back and watched as the newly hatched spike-tail proceeded to eat the entire grass shelter in just a few large bites. He didn't really seem to care that the grass was dried out and almost withered. As far as Ducky was concerned, Spike was just happy to eat something.

Then as if suddenly satisfied with his meal, Spike simply laid back down and fell asleep.

"DUCKY! DUCKY!"

The little swimmer heard the calls of her friends again, this time they were sounding even more worried than ever. "I am over here! I am, I am!" She called, making sure her voice was not loud enough to disturb Spike.

* * *

"Did you hear that?" Chomper asked, sniffing the air and following the swimmer's scent. "She's over there."

Ruby immediately dashed ahead of the others, brushing through the tree-line towards Ducky. "Oh, there you are, Ducky! Ducky, there you are!" She scooped up the little swimmer in a tight hug.

"Of course I am okay, Ruby. Yep, yep, yep!" Ducky cheerfully said, hugging her sister back.

As the others emerged from the tree line, Cera gave a pompous snort. "It's about time!"

"Well I didn't see you offering any ideas." Littlefoot grumbled in irritation.

Cera simply huffed, sticking her horn up pridefully. However, as she did, she failed to see a large olive-green object at her feet. She felt a nasty jolt of reality when she felt her foot get caught on the object, causing her to trip over it.

The young three-horn landed flat on her face, shots of pain rushing through her front as the gravel made hard contact with her skin. "OW!" She cried, tears welling up, but not enough to fall.

From behind, Petrie burst out laughing while Littlefoot and Chomper snickered, both feeling a bit of a grim satisfaction.

"I meant to do that!" She grumbled, quickly getting back up, feeling a big dent in her pride.

Ducky pulled away from Ruby's strong embrace, walking to Cera's side. "Cera, you tripped over Spike! Yes, you did! You did!"

"Spike?"

The little swimmer nodded. "The spike-tail you just tripped over."

Everyone looked down to the ground, finally noticing the spike-tail hatchling. Spike stared drowsily back at them, awoken by Cera's apparent clumsiness. He simply sat there in the dirt, looking at them and barely acknowledging their existence with a drowsy smile. Or at least they assumed it was a smile. His expression was rather... distant, as if he were off in his own little world.

"Where'd he come from?" Chomper asked, looking the spike-tail over.

"He just hatched. He did! He did!" Ducky explained excitedly. "I told him he could come to the Great Valley with us!"

Cera, however, frowned and shook her head. "Oh no!" She objected. "We are not taking him along!"

"Why not?" Petrie questioned.

Cera huffed, turning away rebelliously. "It's bad enough that I'm stuck with a long-neck, a big-mouth, a flyer, a fast-runner, AND a sharp-tooth. But theres no way in heck I'm also traveling with a spike-tail as well! Besides, he just hatched! He'll only slow us down! It's also one more mouth to feed, and who know's when we're gonna find food again!" Cera's almost tempted to say, _at least until someone finds us as food,_ but she for reasons she could not fathom, did not. Instead, she gave a warning glance towards Chomper, who simply averted his eyes away.

"Cera, that's not fair!" Littlefoot protested.

"It's just not natural!" Cera's rebuked. "My father told me that three-horns never do anything with other herds."

Ducky frowned, holding Spike protectively. "Spike is coming with us! He is, he is!"

Ruby also frowned at Cera, taking Ducky's side by Spike. "If Ducky says he is coming, then coming he is!"

"We may not know much, and we may be on our own, but none of that matters." Chomper said rather maturely. "What matters now is that we're a herd, wether you like or not."

Deep down, Littlefoot felt a sense of pride for his younger brother as he smiled at him a bit. "That's right. And we stick together, and we help each other. And no one gets left behind, not in a herd."

Cera remained silent for a few seconds as the rest of them stared back at her with a silent intensity, almost as if a fight were to break out. While doing so, Cera contemplated her options, knowing the odds were against her. Inwardly she sighed, and knew she was really not going to like this.

After a few seconds, she huffed, grumbling something under her breath as she backed down.

The rest of the group relaxed, feeling the little conflict was averted. They then turned their attention to Spike, and by the looks of him, he didn't really seem too keen on walking anywhere. He was also rather large for a hatchling, almost as big as Littlefoot and Ruby themselves. There was no way any of them would be able to carry him.

They had to figure out some way to get him to follow them.

Suddenly Ruby remembered one time after the great earthshake after she and Ducky were on their own, she remembered she saw a family of flyers fighting over a juicy sweet-bubble as whenever one would get it, the others immediately went after it. However, it ended up being eaten by a scaly land-crawler, much to their disappointment. Fortunately for them, the little flyers' mother came shortly after and gave them each a sweet-bubble she had gathered beforehand.

If food is able to get hatchlings to follow, Ruby thought, my food will get Spike to follow.

Much to Ruby's luck, a patch of a few sweet-berries was growing on a nearby bush.

"I have an idea, an idea I have." Ruby spoke up, getting the others' attention.

She then ran over to the patch and carefully picked some sweet-bubbles off. Wanting to see if Spike would even like the sweet-bubbles, Ruby came back and dangled them in front of the chubby spike-tail's nose.

Spike looked at the sweet-bubbles, smiling at the sight of food, and immediately ate them right off the branch.

Ruby, excited by the positive results, ran back to the bush and plucked another branch with the sweet-berries from it. However, this time, she handed the branch to Ducky before picking her up and placing her on Littlefoot's back, much to their confusion.

"Ducky, you ride on Littlefoot and use the sweet-berries to get Spike to follow us." Ruby explained. "He likes sweet-bubbles, and if he likes sweet-bubbles, then we can use the sweet-bubbles to get him to follow us."

"That great idea!" Petrie praised excitedly, everyone else agreeing.

"'That great idea'," Cera mockingly muttered. "Hmph."

Ducky immediately held out the sweet-bubble branch in front of Spike. As Spike reached up to eat them, Littlefoot started walking. And just as Ruby had hoped, the spike-tail got up from his spot and followed the bouncing berries.

"That was a clever idea, Ruby." Chomper smiled.

Ruby smiled back. "Thank you, Chomper."

With another problem solved, the young herd set out again, following the bright circle in the sky as it slowly began dipping towards the horizon.

Soon it would set, and night would be upon them.

* * *

He growled in frustration, his teeth gnashing. The path the little one's took was too overgrown for him to get through. And he was simply too large to fit between the firmly planted trees.

Sharptooth realized that her would have no other choice but to go around the grove, which angered him even more as he smell that the little ones were close. It would perhaps take a whole night to go around the forest, but if it meant that he would catch up to his prey, then so be it.

The monster crouched down close to the ground, waiting to ambush the passing long-spine ground-crawler. Waiting for the right moment, Sharptooth charged out of the foliage and quickly bit into the ground-crawler's neck before it had time to react, twisting it and snapping it's neck, killing it instantly.

As the ground-crawler lay dead on the ground, Sharptooth took the opportunity to get a quick meal as he dug into the carcass, tearing off and swallowing the blood and flesh, savoring this fresh kill.

For in truth, he was about to have a few more kills very soon.

**Yeah, the ending of this one was pretty gory, wasn't it? Hope your excited for the next chapter so stay tuned!**


End file.
